


Betrayal

by MarkOwen



Series: Eternal Wrath Saga [1]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe, Community: chlollie, F/M, Gen, Season/Series 08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-24
Updated: 2014-07-29
Packaged: 2018-01-05 22:34:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 93,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1099367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarkOwen/pseuds/MarkOwen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Oliver Queen is betrayed in the worst way, Lex Luthor's threat rises, an alien beast lashes out in a killing spree that may result in horrific consequences and, in the middle of it all, stands love in the form of a petite blonde.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ice Cold Meeting

 

 

  ****Eternal Wrath Volume 1 : Betrayal** **

_'You have no idea what I'm capable of.' - Lex Luthor, Season 1, Episode 3: "Hothead"_

* * *

**Prologue**

The orb had indicated the location of the Traveler's shelter. Lex Luthor and his team arrived in Arctic, in a small remote village a few miles close to said-shelter.

Stepping out of the helicopter, Lex breathed the fresh air and let out a contented sigh. He was close to achieving his mission. The greatest mission a man could ever be charged of. He was going to save the Earth and there was only one way to do that.

_He was going to kill the Traveler._

"Regan." called Lex

"Sir?" said Regan Matthews, the billionaire's right hand.

Lex sensed the alien piece in his hand quivering; he figured it was time to go.

"The orb's glowing." noticed the bald man. "If I am not back within the next two hours, send a team to the shelter and find me."

"What do you mean Mr. Luthor? I can't let you walk into the lion's den alone, it's suicide!"

"I'm going to save the world, Regan." replied Lex. "And if that means giving up my life, then I'm willing to."

"Let us come with you." tried to reason Matthews.

"I'll go alone!" hissed Lex. "Don't discuss my orders or I'll have to take a regrettable decision about you."

Knowing that his boss's menaces weren't blank, Regan didn't think about it twice and let Lex doing whatever he was going to do, even if it looked like suicide. After all, Lex Luthor survived two meteor showers, meteor-freak's almost daily attacks during seven years and a plane crash in the middle of the pacific ocean five years ago; So to him, going alone to an alien refuge lost in the middle of the Arctic continent was just another day at the office.

As Regan walked a few steps away from him, Lex calmly examined the orb for several seconds. Noticing it was emitting a light blue colored ray, he sensed he could talk to it. It was a strange sensationbut it was like the orb was calling him, telling him it was time.

Time to take down the world's greatest menace: _the alien Traveler._

"Take me to the Traveler." ordered Lex to the orb.

At that moment, the alien sphere started glowing intensely and in a blinding flash, Lex Luthor disappeared under the eyes of the panicked villagers and his Luthorcorp team, leaving nothing but a thick smoke behind.

"Sir, yes sir…" deadpanned Regan as he saw the whole scene. **  
**

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

  
**Chapter 1: Ice cold meeting**   
_'At last, I can embrace my true destiny.' - Lex Luthor, Season 4, Episode 17: "Onyx"_

________________________________________  
 _ **May 15th 2008. 2:23 AM UTC-6 (7:23 AM Local Time). Arctic Tundra.**_  
  
Lex Luthor found himself lying onsnow in the middle of nowhere. Getting up, he let his eyes run over the white neutral landscape and stopped abruptly as his eyes discovered a breathtaking ice building, kind of an ice castle, looking like anything but human-like construct.  
  
'So this is the infamous shelter of our little Traveler. Whoever you are, I'm gonna stop you' thought Lex as he headed towards the Fortress of Solitude.  
________________________________________  
 _ **May 15th 2008. 2:36 PM UTC-6. Smallville, Kansas, USA.**_  
  
Clark Kent was staring blankly outside of the barn, lost in his thoughts. Lana's video destroyed his heart. After his father's death, he thought the world stopped but when Lana came back from the dead, he thought that maybe he was wrong, perhaps life could get better for him. He dedicated his entire heart to the woman he'd loved for what felt like forever. So, when he discovered her in this video, telling him that she had to leave him because she was holding him back, he felt like someone was stabbing him directly in the chest.  
  
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear Jimmy Olsen calling for him.  
  
"Clark, are you here?" Jimmy nearly shouted when he entered the barn.  
  
After a frantic search of the barn, Jimmy decided to check upstairs and finally found Clark in his loft, contemplating.  
  
"Chloe was just arrested."  
  
His panicked words caused the alien to turn to him abruptly, wearing a surprised expression on his features.  
  
"What?" said Clark, not sure he heard him well.  
  
"Her habitual hacking caught Uncle Sam's eye, so I..." he tried his best to make a complete sentence but he was still catching his breath as he had run to the death to find Clark, he was now exhausted. "I kind of went to Lex for help, and now he's holding it over my head!"  
  
"You made a deal with Lex Luthor?" replied a stunned Clark; he knew Lex was capable of anything but sending Chloe to the government prisons was a proof that the billionaire had finally become a monster.  
  
"Look, I told him to get another lapdog, Clark!" Jimmy explained himself "Then he just... He put her back on the most wanted list."  
  
Clark had been informed that Chloe and Jimmy had broken up just a few weeks before, mostly because of his secret and he felt guilty about thatbut he also knew that Jimmy still cared a lot about her even if they weren't together anymore.  
  
"She went from life support to life without parole in less than a day." complained a worn out Jimmy.  
  
"Where's Lex now?" There was no time to lose, if Chloe had been arrested by the government, they might lose her forever.  
  
"Look, I don't know!" panicked the photographer "I tried to get in contact with him, but he's off jet-setting around the Arctic Circle..."  
  
His words were like a kick in Clark's gut, he let Lex without any surveillance, once again underestimating the threat and now he was heading toward his fortress.  
  
Jimmy kept talkingbut it seemed Clark's mind couldn't decipher the words, he actually wasn't listening to him anymore. The only thing that kept popping in his head was that Lex was way too close to discovering his secret and that he had to stop him. It was an emergency situationbut he still had to protect his identity. After spending a few minutes reassuring Jimmy, he finally got out of his sight and super-sped away, making sure his departure was left unnoticed.  
________________________________________  
 _ **May 15th 2008. 2:39 PM UTC-6 (7:39 AM Local Time). Arctic Tundra.**_  
  
Lex couldn't keep his jaw from hanging open as he stepped inside the fortress; it was the most beautiful thing he had seen in his entire life. There was ice pillars everywhere, sculpted in a way that rendered them gorgeous, white fog was hovering from the ground to his knees and everything looked so clear, so shinning. It was like a huge crystal sculpture, made by the most talented artist ever. Lex noticed a purple light similar to the orb he was currently holding. The glowing was coming from behind a pillar and he moved toward it. He then found the fortress console, a sort of inclined basin full of alien crystals reacting to the closeness with the orb. Lex lifted it towards the console and its five-sided detachable piece merged into the sphere, leaving it featureless with nothing but sleek faces. This alien piece of technology was never going to stop surprising him, first it teleported him here then, this; what next?  
  
Right at that moment, he felt a gust of wind behind him, causing the orb to react immediately as it emitted a wave of power while its color changed from chromed purple to radiant pink.  
  
There was no other way to interpret that, the Traveler was standing right behind him, he knew it. He could sense his presence behind his back, it was unmistakable. All he had to do was to turn round and peek, to find out his identity.  
Clark just arrived in the fortress to come across Lex who was going to put the orb on the console. He stopped dead intrack at his sight. His former friend who had become his enemy, his nemesis was going to control him in the next minutes and he couldn't do anything.  
  
Eventually, Lex had had enough of waiting and turned around slowly. The sight that greeted him was both utterly surprising and still extremely logic. He was staring right into the face of Clark Kent and finally, after seven years of unsuccessful researches, every piece seemed to get into the giant puzzle that was his life. Everything made sense now. The farm boy who once was his best and only friend was actually an alien planning on conquering Earth. He'd always known Clark was special. The inexplicable way he left a room so quickly like he disappeared, his constant presence on crime scenes, the savings he'd done, even aliens mentioned his name. He should have seen it a long time agobut he'd been lying to himself, thinking he was just a shy mild-mannered farm boy.  
  
But now that the truth was uncovered, his task came back in his mind. In fact, Lex felt it was a task he had been taught to do since he was born, it was like he was tailored to do it. 'Spot and annihilate' like his father often said about business matters, the same father he had killed with his bare hands not so long ago. He had been forced to kill him, the old man refused to help him in his quest, he was too blind to realize the gravity of the threat. So, he had done what he had to: pushing Lionel Luthor out of the 40th floor's window. He had had no other choice back then and right now, it was the same thing. He had to do what was needed to be done: destroying Clark Kent.  
  
"I must admit Clark," began Lex, staring into his former friend's eyes "This is a big step up from the barn."  
  
"It's not what you think, Lex." claimed Clark, marching cautiously towards him "You don't understand."  
  
Lex felt the orb glowing in his hand and saw Clark stop his movements looking like he was in pain as he tried to move back. Lex now understood what Kara Kent meant when she said the orb had been created to protect humans: It could physically stop aliens by causing them pain when they found themselves too close to the orb.  
  
The bald billionaire, determined, lifted the orb so it was now at his face's level and moved close to Clark to protect himself from him. Again, he applied a lesson once told by his father: 'The best defense is a good offense'.  
  
"For the first time, I think I do." replied Lex, now understanding why his life was the way it had been: He had been tested.  
  
"You see, you live among us as a mild-mannered farm boy. But secretly, you're a strange visitor from another planet, plotting our demise."  
  
"That's not what I'm doing at all!" denied the kryptonian.  
  
"It's a brilliant disguise, Clark." admitted Lex "You don't even need a mask."  
  
"I'm not your enemy, Lex" replied Clark, trying to convince his former friend. "I've never done anything to hurt you."  
  
"You didn't trust me" He shook his head. "With everything you had, with everything you could do, did you ever think about what we could have accomplished together?"  
  
Lex would have been thrilled to share Clark's secret and protect him a few years ago. But he betrayed him, he lied to him every day, every time he looked at him in his eyes, Clark kept lying. And why did he do that? Because he was a Luthor,  
  
Clark didn't trust him because of his name, he never did.  
  
"I would have helped you to become a hero."  
  
"When have you ever thought of anyone but yourself?" hissed Clark as he realized that Lex didn't understand that he wasn't his nemesis, all he had ever wanted was to help his friend.  
  
"Right Now, I'm doing this for the world." continued the bald man. "I have to protect the human race!"  
  
"This is my life," muttered Clark "You have no right to control it!"  
  
"IT'S MY BIRTHRIGHT!" shouted Lex, the tension between them about to explode. They both knew that the end was near.  
  
"After all my sacrifices, after all the pain … I finally understand."  
  
Yes Lex finally understood, He was promised to become Earth savior by killing Clark Kent. He'd always known he was promised to a great destiny.  
  
"I was being prepared for a much greater destiny." He voiced his thoughts.  
  
Clark didn't know what to do or to say, he started panicking, his heart racing up in his chest, he could feel his blood pumping in his ears.  
  
"Everything led me to this moment."  
  
"And we're both here. We're in that moment! And what happens next is your choice!" Clark vainly tried to reason him. "But no one is controlling you Lex, No one is forcing you do this!"  
  
He had to stop him or Lex was going to control him and use him as a weapon. No matter how convinced he sounded, Clark knew that the man in front of him was the most egoistic being of the planet. He actually wasn't doing this for the world, he wanted to do it for himself.  
  
"Who am I to turn my back on my fellow man?" Lex was stuck in his opinions: Clark was a threat to humanity, a threat he had to kill.  
  
"Especially after you turned your back on me?" He paused, allowing himself to savor this moment. This was the moment he would become a hero.  
  
"I'm sorry, Clark. But you are the traveler." He turned back to the console and started approaching it with the orb.  
  
"You hold the future of the entire planet in your hands." He explained while stepping. "I'm here to take it back."  
  
"Lex?" the pleading voice of the farm boy tried vainly to reason him one last time.  
  
Clark was panicking, he'd been unable to make him understand he was wrong and now he was going to be controlled by the devil himself. A chill ran through his entire being at the thought of what he could to with a brainwashed Kal-El. He couldn't stop his hands from shaking and his heart from beating faster and faster…  
  
"You'll never threaten the world again... Kal-El!"  
  
"Lex! Don't!"  
  
With these words, the orb was placed on the console's crystal which started flashing and emitting a charging noise. A lightning coming from the console pierced through Clark's body. Pain rushed through his limbs as every nerve in him was hurting. He wanted to scream, to yell his pain awaybut it was so painful that he was unable to make any sound come out of his mouth. When the lightning disappeared, his knees were too weak to bear him. He fell on the ground with a loud thud. He felt a strange sensation he already had the occasion to feel in the past. It was like the protective layer of his skin had been ripped away from his body, he felt naked, he felt vulnerable, he felt… human! A frown appeared on his face as confusion settled inside him, how could he lose his powers? He was supposed to be mindless by now. He came to the realization that Veritas was wrong, the orb wasn't made to control him. It was made to take away his powers.  
  
In a wayhe was relieved. Lex wouldn't be able to use his powers to destroy the world. But he was now vulnerable and powerless, the human version of Satan could kill him easily now or he could attack his friends without him being able to protect them. He thought about Lana who could be anywhere, Chloe who was now probably locked up in a federal prison and Lois who had the habit to find trouble anywhere. But then he thought about the League; Oliver Queen sure had some contacts inside the government and will help Chloe to escape. At least she would be safe. He knew Oliver and the guys could take his place easily in Metropolis and Smallville, even if he didn't want to admit it, he admired Oliver.  
  
Lex moved to stand close to Clark. He then lowered himself to hold the alien just wanting to make him understand that he had no choice and that what he'd done was right.  
  
"I loved you like a brother Clark, but it has to end this way." he tried to explained himself "I'm sorry."  
The fortress became to collapse, pillars were falling apart, and terrible ear-splitting noises were produced by the frictions between the fortress pieces and the ice. These pieces were falling around the two men, they first thought they somehow were protected as nothing came to crush them but, when a pillar hit the ground inches away from them sending them flying meters away in opposite directions they realized they had no chance to get out of it alive and still, not even for a second Lex regretted his choice.  
  
Clark had been projected out of reach from the falling pieces of the alien fortress while Lex found himself in the middle of the pillars, lying on his stomach. He didn't have time to react when one of them hit the ground hard, part of it landing on his back. Lex screamed in painbut his voice was veiled by a rising snow storm. The wind went strong making high flawed noises, covering his shouts. Lex didn't feel his legs anymore, he was blocked under a pillar in the middle of nowhere but still, it was worth it. If saving the world meant giving up his life then he would do it, he had said it to Regan and he meant it.  
At that moment he noticed a blue light glowing under the ice beneath his body. The glowing was increasing and he noticed that the ice was melting, making a small hole in it. And then, from there, emerged a superb, radiant dark-blue triangular piece. Lex was sure it was part of the fortress and it looked important, he had to get it, to touch it even for a second before he died. He wanted to know how it felt in his hand; probably it could save him too. At that point everything was possible.  
  
The crystal of knowledge was hovering a few inches from the ground. Lex tried to grab itbut it was still out of reach, he could almost touch it. Almost. Forgetting the pillar on his back, he forced his body forward and reached to grab it. When his hand was about to get it, the crystal emitted blinding lights and incredible heat, he felt his hand and his face burning, and, once again cried in pain. This one was so unbearable that he fainted. His figure was lying under that pillar and the crystal of knowledge right next to him.  
  
Clark found his strengths coming back, and he was able to get up. He tried to call for Lex, not wanting him to die there but the wind was too strong and there was too much fog and snow in the air that he was unable to see anything. He knew searching for Lex was a lost cause so he started walking in the snow, hoping to find someone, anyone who could help him. He hadn't walked for a few meters that he already felt his muscles aching due to the incredibly low temperature there, he almost felt himself freezing! Forcing himself to walk for almost a mile, he felt his head turning and breathing became difficult. Exhaustion took over him as he fell to his knees. It was too cold, his body wanted to sleep but he knew that if he did, he would die here. He tried to fight it, to get upbut it was useless. Snow was beginning to cover his body as he eventually succumbed to unconsciousness with one last thought in mind:  
  
Were Clark Kent and Lex Luthor actually destined to die in Arctic?  
________________________________________  
 _ **May 15th 2008. 2:57 PM UTC-6 (12:27 PM Local Time). Qom, Qom Province, Iran.**_  
  
The Justice League was gathered in a cheap and discrete motel in Qom. They were in Iran for a mission. Thanks to Queen Industries' Iranian contacts, Oliver had gotten wind of slaughters perpetrated by terrorist rebels that took over the region a few months ago and never let any information pass to the medias. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people were dying fast. They had to do something. After having called Victor, AC, Bart and Dinah to Star City, they all took the jet and flew to the Qom Province of Iran. Once they landed, they needed to keep a low profile there because strangers -especially American strangers- were considered as dangerous people there. Victor had found them a cover as tourists and they bought a few rooms in a vacant motel nearby the airport.  
  
The guys were working on a plan to stop the rebel attacks when Oliver's personal cell-phone went off. The caller ID surprised him the most as he saw the name of Lois Lane on the screen. What did she want? After his last visit to Metropolis, they both agreed to put some distance between them for a little while.  
  
A few moments of hesitation later, he checked his watch: It read 12:27 am. His frown deepened even more as he quickly calculated the time in Kansas and found out it should beway past midnight back there. If Lois was calling at this time, then it must be important. He decided to answer his phone knowing that she was going to yell at him for making her wait.  
And he was right.  
  
He hadn't even placed the phone to his ears that he had to jerk it away if he didn't want to be deaf as he heard Lois yelling his name and every insult she could think of.  
  
"Lois! Lois, calm down!"  
  
"When I'm calling you it's for a reason, stupid brat! I've been trying to reach you for hours!" She kept yelling at him.  
"I'm sorry!" apologized Oliver. "There's not much phone connection where I am right now – Just..."  
  
He stopped his sentence dead intrack when he heard her sobbing at the other end, it only confirmed him that the reason for her call was definitely important. She wouldn't get all emotional on him like that and especially at this time, that wasn't her style.  
  
"How could you do this to her? You hid the danger from her I'm sure! The government was seeking for a pirate in Kansas and now she's gone! I…" her wavering voice managed to form a sentence which sounded more like an accusation than anything else. "Was she working with you?"  
  
Oliver had already seen Lois panicked beforebut this was the first time he heard her so lost, so vulnerable.  
  
"Huh Lois what are you talking about? I didn't understand a word from what you told me." answered Oliver as he tried his best to calm her. "What did you mean by the government was seeking a pirate? And who was working with me?"  
He had to keep her steady if he wanted her to form coherent sentences. He heard her taking a deep breath, probably to calm herself, then she spoke:  
"Chloe's been arrested." was all she said.  
  
"What?" his heart nearly stopped, he wondered if he heard her well because he couldn't picture his trusted little Sidekick locked up in a federal prison complex.  
  
"Jimmy came by the Talon and told me that government agents arrested Chloe for being a dangerous cyber terrorist. He was there when they took her." He could hear she was genuinely concerned for her cousin and at the edge of crying the hell out of her.  
  
"Jimmy told me that it isn't the first time she's issues with the government. Two weeks ago, some federal agents already tried to capture her but Lex stopped them."  
  
"Lex ? Why would Lex protect Chloe against the government? He doesn't care a bit about her!" hissed Oliver.  
He knew that if Lex was involved, It was because he would find his interest somewhere in this story.  
  
"He doesn't." Lois clarified his thoughts. "But Jimmy made a deal with Lex and when he didn't respect it, Lex called the government."  
  
"That bastard!" muttered the young man. "I'm coming back Lois, give me a couple of hours and I'll be by your side. We're gonna bring her back, I promise!"  
  
He would do anything to protect that tiny feisty blonde, no one ever touched the people of his team, not even the government.  
  
"Thanks" was all that Lois succeeded to articulate before hanging up.  
  
Oliver came back in the main room where his team was busy studying blueprints and maps. When they saw their leader coming back in a hurry, they immediately knew that something was wrong. Oliver looked up and nearly shouted at them:  
  
"Everyone back to Kansas! Now!"  
________________________________________  
 _ **May 16th 2008. 3:24 AM UTC-6 (8:24 AM Local Time). Arctic Tundra.**_  
  
Regan Matthews didn't wait two hours for Lex when he saw the snow storm rising in the horizon. He borrowed the villager's sleds and led his team to the fortress site. There was nothing but one ice sculpture, looking like a pillar there. He thought he was at the wrong place looking for his boss but then, he saw two legs under that pillar and found horrified Lex Luthor blocked under it.  
  
He and his men managed to lift the ice piece out of him, letting the fresh air hit the deep wound on the man's back. There was lots of blood coming out from several injuries on his back and Lex's right hand as well as the left side of his face were severely burned.  
  
Regan wondered how his boss could have gotten this kind of wounds in the middle of the Arctic. The temperature was not low enough to burn someone so his wounds were impossible to have. That was when he noticed the blue crystal lying on the ice. When he took it, he felt it was hot and eventually understood that this piece of alien technology was the cause to his boss's predicament.  
  
"Take him to the village! There no time to lose!" ordered Regan as he slipped the crystal into his pocket.  
The employees didn't discuss his orders and hoisted Lex on one of the sleds before heading back to the remote village they had settled at right before the billionaire left for the fortress. He would receive the first aids there. Regan was just hoping his boss' wounds weren't too severe.  
  
Clark's world was still black when he heard voices, several voices. There were a group of men close to himbut they weren't speaking English because Clark couldn't understand a word of what they were saying. He felt himself being lifted by several arms and thrown on hard wood. He heard waves and felt the ground floating. Was he on a boat?  
  
Cold water was being splashed on him, it had for effect to send him back to consciousness. His eyes shot open as he gasped for air and then groaned in pain as he felt the air burning his frozen lungs. A few seconds were needed for him to recover from the sudden revival. After a few unfruitful attempts of focusing his eyes on the group of men standing in front of him, he found himself looking at several fishermen who were staring at him. One of them, a middle-aged man with gray hair stepped forward. And spoke up with a very pronounced accent:  
  
"Welcome to Russia Yankee!" **  
**


	2. Odyssey

 

 

_'Every Frankenstein has a human heart.' - Chloe Sullivan, Season 10, Episode 12: "Collateral"_

* * *

_**June 14th 2008. 4:25 PM UTC-6 (9:48 PM Local Time). Arctic Tundra.** _

Four weeks later, a helicopter was flying around the white land mass of the arctic toward a basement established by Luthorcorp. Four military-like tents circling around the main one which was dedicated to the researches of Lex Luthor, reported missing for one month already. Regan Matthews, a Luthorcorp executive known for being Lex's loyal right hand had been ruling the company, waiting for the future designed CEO to take over the firm. He delayed Luthorcorp direction to his subordinates while he directed the researches for Lex Luthor.

A tall, hooded, fur clad woman descended the helicopter and stepped inside the main tent, her demarche proving that she was used to be in control, a rare temper trait very appreciated in the function of CEO.

"Who's Regan?" She pronounced, her business-like tone showing her well-trained ability to hide her emotions which had made her a dreadful opponent.

At the sound of his name, the man in question turned round to find himself staring at her, trying to define her face hidden by her coat's hood and her large sunglasses.

"What have you been doing all this time? Building snowmen?" she continued when Regan didn't answer her first question.

"Who do you think you are?" He asked irritated by this woman's arrogant behavior. "This site is off limits." he argued.

The outsider pulled back her hood revealing long and shiny red hair and removed her sunglasses bringing to the light two vivid light blue eyes reflecting her obstinacy.

"Tess Mercer" She introduced herself. "My access is unrestricted. Per Lex's written instructions, I'm now the acting CEO of Luthorcorp and all its subsidiaries."

 _Acting CEO of Luthorcorp._ Tess' voice resonated in Regan's mind. _What the hell?_ He thought. _I had to have this place! I am the most qualified and experimented!_ Anger built inside him, he thought that after all he had done, Lex would reward his work and devotion by giving him the temporary job of Luthorcorp's CEO until he returned. But now, this redhead bimbo came in and reduced all his hopes to nothing.

"You're nothing but an obscure regional VP. You actually believe you're qualified?" He stated. After all, perhaps Lex didn't know anything about that. He would have to ask his boss about it later.

"Lex believes it …. that's all that matters." Tess Mercer justified her position before quickly going to business. "I want a complete inventory of everything you've found: footprints, snowmobile tracks, any sign of an escape."

"Escape?" Regan repeated, trying to decipher what she meant. _Doesn't she think Lex is dead like everyone?_ He internally wondered.

The redhead raised her eyebrows, slightly surprised by his reaction before cracking an arrogant smile.

"Trust me, Lex Luthor did not meet his end on some dwindling ice cap." She simply declared. Regan would have to be prudent with this one. He didn't have time to register it completely when one of the employees spoke up:

"Sonar's picking up something" the man announced.

Tess and Regan made their way towards the drilling machine expectantly.

"6.4 meters deep." the employee precised.

"What is it?" Tess asked, intrigued.

"I'm not sure but based on the imaging, it could very well be human remains." he answered.

 _Oh god, what if I was wrong? Is it possible that Lex died here?_ Tess felt something she hadn't felt for a while now, was it fear? The fear to discover that the man she would give her life for died one month ago and was now prisoner of the ice. _No_ , it couldn't be.

But she didn't have time to think about that because at the other end of the tent, hidden behind boxes and tarpaulins was standing the tall hooded figure of a green leather clad man: the Green Arrow.

He was studying the room when his com sizzled.

"Aquaman to Green Arrow, I'm in position"

His high tech sunglasses were scanning the room, looking for the main power source of the basement and found it right above the sonar where Tess and Regan were standing. It was hanging at the cellar. "Let's do it guys" his deeply distorted voice ordered.

He stood up, aimed his bow in the direction of the power source and shot his arrow right in the target, plunging the room in the dark and deactivating every research machine.

Tess and Regan were startled by this attack and moved out of the way not to be burned by the sparks coming out of the cellar. Tess caught a glimpse of an imposing hooded frame holding a bow in his hands. She instantly knew she just met the infamous Green Arrow in person. The next second, the only thing she knew she was knocked out by an extremely loud and ear piercing cry which sounded like a low frequency scream.

Dinah had just gotten out of the box she hid in and produced her cry knocking out five employees including a redhead woman. By the corner of the eye, she noticed a guard running towards her, aiming a gun at her. She was quick to react and grabbed one of her many knives from her costume, throwing it at the man. The knife sank into his shoulder and he fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, Oliver jogged forward while taking his crossbow in his hands and shooting one taser-arrow to a man's chest, the electric fluid rendering him unable to move for several minutes. No one else in sight, he made his way to the sonar's screen which had picked up something at 6.4 meters deep he noticed. At that moment, he heard a click behind him and quickly turned round to find Regan aiming a gun at his head. He couldn't move or the guy would kill him before he even had the opportunity to knock him down.

"Aquaman to Green Arrow, hold on Green Jeans, I'm on my way." his com informed him. He instantly knew that Arthur would be there in seconds, in fact he should already be beneath them, just right under the ice.

"There's a reason the cowboys won the west." Regan began, savoring the moment. "Playing with bows and arrows can only get you so fa-" He didn't have time to finish his speech that AC emerged between them from the ice and tossed him across the room.

"Nice toss... for a fish out of water" Oliver joked

"Thanks"

"You two gonna keep stroking each other, or are we gonna go find Clark?" Dinah commented.

Right, it wasn't time for jokes. When the league arrived in metropolis almost a month ago, they frantically searched for Chloe and it began by asking Clark where she was. But the only problem was that Clark was MIA too. It wasn't good. Lois told Oliver that Clark never left town and he knew that could be linked to the fact that Lex flew over to the arctic. Clark had told him that there was some kind of castle there made by his biological father.

 _Right_ , he first thought, _Why going to Cancun when you can go to the Arctic? Aliens, really..._

Thanks to his government contacts, Oliver discovered that Lex had asked for a flight permission to leave the US and landed at Longyear Airport in the island of Svalbard near the Arctic Circle. He must have traveled the rest of the way by helicopter. If Lex was there, it wasn't for tourism he was surely heading toward Clark's father castle.

Oliver then used his company's satellites to locate the fortress but found nothing. Until two weeks ago. Luthorcorp had established a basement in the middle of the tundra. He was sure that it was where Clark's fortress should have been. Losing no time, Oliver had gathered the guys and they made up a plan. Victor and Bart would run the south hemisphere in case Clark somehow ended up there while he, AC and Dinah would check that basement in the arctic. Finally, there they were, and they possibly had found a lead.

"It looks like they found something in that trench." Oliver spoke "Check it out".

As they looked in the trench where the sonar found it, they saw something looking like a red jacket in the ice. Was it Clark?

"Oh no" voiced Dinah.

"AC, go grab it."

Arthur managed to free the jacket from the ice, there was nothing more, just his jacket. They then decided to leave the basement, staying there would be useless, apparently Clark wasn't there anymore. AC had checked the waters under the ice and found nothing but seals and fishes.

As they made their way to their snowmobiles, Oliver sighed.

"Where are you Clark?"

* * *

_**June 14th 2008. 4:48 PM UTC-6 (7:25 AM Local Time). Verkhoyansk, Russia.** _

The old wire fences used as gates were closing behind an incoming truck full of boxes. Theses gates prohibited access to a labor camp hidden at the periphery of Verkhoyansk. People from different countries, different worlds were used as slaves to load and unload the trucks. The owner of this camp was an old Russian, ex-soldier in the soviet forces of the ex-USSR. The man was currently looking at the newest recruit of his little business as he liked to call it. He could only see his shape because of the incessant rain which limited his visibilitybut the Russian could determine a tall dark-haired man with one of the truck's boxes on his shoulder, hiding his face from him. The old man's eyes were not leaving him even for a second, he watched as the slave dropped the box with the other, ran a hand through his wet hair and finally raised his head to look around him. It took him several seconds to have a clear glimpse of his face but the owner could now see him very clearly and what looked back at him were the features of a man he didn't knowbut to any member of Oliver's team, there could be no doubt. The man lost in the middle of Russia was Clark Kent.

* * *

_**June 14th 2008. 10:03 PM UTC-6. Isis foundation, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Dinah, AC and Oliver came back from the Arctic Circle an hour ago. They had been using Chloe's computers at the Isis foundation to try locating Clark while Oliver's lawyers were investigating on Chloe's arrest. Meanwhile, Bart and Victor were still running around the south hemisphere, looking for their kryptonian friend.

"I ran his photo through every surveillance camera north of 60 degrees latitude" exposed Dinah who was sit behind the computer screens which were imaging Clark's face picture. "Face recognition hasn't come up with a single hit." her voice was showing how much desperate and bored she was by not finding anything.

"Every dock and coastline east of the Siberian Sea to the Baffin Bay..." Arthur Curry enchained "They're Clark Kent free-zones. It's like he just disappeared!"

"Well, that leaves us with Chloe's hard drive," Oliver spoke up. "Which is full of fun facts, but not one lead on Clark." he was pissed. As well as AC and Dinah who were losing hope.

"Oliver..." Dinah tried to reason him. "We've searched practically everywhere." She looked at him in the eyes trying to make him understand the harsh reality. "I think it's time to accept the fact that maybe something happened to him".

"No." Oliver firmly declared. He wasn't ready to accept that. "No, you don't understand. Clark's not like us" he explained "It's gonna take a hell lot more than a little snow and ice to bring him down".

"Victor and Bart have been covering the entire Southern hemisphere." She argued while AC stepped to join her, showing Oliver he shared her point of view. "They haven't found anything. What makes you think we will?" She asked.

Oliver glanced at AC and turned back his look on Dinah. "Clark would never give up on us. We're not giving up on him." He finished the conversation before leaving the room.

He walked over to the coffee machine, for a much needed dose of anti-sleep liquid. As the substance flopped into his mug, a memory came back to him.

_She was standing there, right at the table, flipping through some Isis related files. A hand rose to push a strand of her shiny blonde hair away from her eyes, revealing the concentration marring her face. A smile crept on his lips as he watched her work; it was an adorable sight, really. The woman was always 100% focused on the work she had to do and nothing else seemed to stop her from finishing it._

_Oliver was sitting at a comfortable chair in front of her. He saw her reach for her mug, raising it to her lips, only to find it was empty. The expression on her face was the funniest thing he had ever seen. His smirk quickly became a full grin before a laugh escaped him._

" _You really are working yourself too hard, Sidekick." He remarked, amused._

" _Hey, this work won't do it by itself!" was her answer followed by a pout Oliver knew was fake._

_He rose from his chair and walked over her before closing the file in her hands and getting it out of her reach, the grin still firmly on his face._

" _Give it back, to me!" Her exasperation was only growing as she tried to jump to grab itbut there was no way she could, he was too tall for her. Resigned, she put her hands on her hips and glared at him._

" _Oliver Queen!"_

" _Nope, you're not getting it back." He assured her as he tried not to laugh. "It's already past midnight, you should go home, Chloe."_

_His tirade only got a huff out of her; she didn't seem to agree with him._

" _I'm sorry but that'd be criminal to let you work yourself to death."_

" _Fine!" She huffed before storming out of the room, making him chuckle._

_He found her at the coffee machine, preparing herself another mug. The sight made him roll his eyes._

" _Chloe!"_

" _Hey, you said I had to stop workingbut you didn't say anything about coffee." A smirk appeared on her lips as she watched him run a hand over his face in despair._

" _Go home Chloe, you really need to sleep."_

_His words seemed to have no impact on her as he saw her seek for another mug and hand it to him._

" _Come on!" She joyfully bantered back. "It'd be criminal to let me drink alone!"_

" _Fine!" He huffed as he saw his words being thrown back to him. "But I get to walk you home and don't even try to stop me, Sidekick. I'm doing this for your own good!"_

_He was greeted by a full smile of hers before she finally gave in and accepted._

" _As you wish, Hero." She teased him._

This event took place almost a year ago, it was the last time they met physicallybut still, Oliver couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. They had a good time together this night. It was the night he secretly came back to town after destroying another 33.1 lab of Lex. He was there to ask her to become a freelance member of his team, she made a formidable asset for them. Having a personal hacker who could crack almost anything and at distance had eased their work on the fields. That was also the night he discovered her addiction for coffee and how hard-working she was, that still amazed him that a petite woman like her could be so full of life and energy. She was a human being of a great quality and also a member of his team, that was why he would never give up on her. He would find her and Clark, he had to.

* * *

_**June 15th 2008. 12:30 AM UTC-6. Cadmus Labs, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Regan had come back from the Arctic. During the nearly 8 hours journey from Svalbard to Metropolis, he had rehashed the thing of the new temporary CEO picked up by Lex. He couldn't understand why he chose her instead of him. This though still occupied his mind while he was driving to Cadmus Labs. That was where Lex had been transported three weeks ago. When Regan found him, blocked under that pillar, he took him back to the village in Arctic. Here he received the first aids and thanks to the doctor in their team, Lex's health state had been maintained and he could have been transported to where he had told them to: Cadmus Labs. Lex seemed to have a plan which he firmly refused to share with anyone yet. He had asked Regan to seek one of his old employees: Dr. Groll. The man seemed to be an important asset of his plan so he executed himself. Regan sent a team to get him. This guy fled away a year and a half ago because he didn't want to get involved in anymore dirty business with the Luthors. It would be only a matter of days before Luthorcorp puts a hand on him and bring him back to Metropolis.

Regan parked his car in a dark little street one block away from Cadmus Labs building. He headed toward it, carefully checking if anyone was following him. He sighed in relief when he noted that no one was paying attention to him. The last thing he needed was someone to discover that Lex Luthor was alive and hidden in a Luthorcorp subsidiary. That was why Lex ordered Regan to make a fake research basement in Arctic which was supposed to look for him but when Tess Mercer arrived, she ruled the camp, so now they really were looking for Lex. That didn't matter anyway, he wasn't in Arctic anymore and only a handful of people knew where he was. All of this people except him were locked up in Cadmus so that secret was safe.

Regan pulled the double door open, entered the building and headed straight to the lift. When he was in, he opened a hidden console and pressed his thumb on the biometric fingerprint reader, granting him access to the secret level underground the building.

Lex was in the middle of the room; his body was attached to a gurney from the chest to the legs so that he wouldn't be falling. The gurney was inclined in a way that made Lex look like he was standing so that he was able to watch the screens which showed the advancement of the project and give orders to the scientists. His two most trusted bodyguards were always in the room to protect him.

"Mr. Luthor" Regan interjected politely when he entered the room.

"What's the status of my researches in Arctic?" Lex's distorted voice spoke up. He was wired to several machines. Each one of them had a different purpose: breathing, checking the pulse, cleaning, controlling the products circling in his blood, etc...

The left side of his face and his right hand were hidden behind bandages. They were the most burned zones of his body. He almost lost his left eyebut thanks to surgery, the scientists were able to heal it. They also discovered that his lower spine was broken: He was unable to walk. But that wouldn't stop him for long, once is back, he could accomplish his plan and become a god among men, just like Clark.

"It went well Mr. Luthor." Regan paused before expressing his concern. "Until Miss Mercer came in" Lex raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Regan assumed that he had to enchain. "She claims she's the new Luthorcorp CEO and she took over the basement in Arctic. Everything that will be found there will be sent to her."

"It doesn't matter, there's nothing to be found except the orb. And if they do, I have a way to get it back." Despite everything that happened, Lex Luthor's nerves were totally steeled. His tone was always cold and calm which made him an extremely feared man.

"You choose her to be the new CEO. Why? I mean she doesn't have any experience about that job, I am much more qualified than-"

"Don't tell me you're jealous Regan!" Lex cut him off. "You can't be CEO because I need you here."

"But why did you choose her and not someone more qualified or even Lucas Luthor?" He asked.

"Let's just say I have my reasons" Lex answered vaguely. "Besides, Lucas is a sociopath; he's too unstable to lead Luthorcorp".

"Right, I get that" Regan didn't have the choice, he had to agree. "You said you've got a way to get everything she receives back to you. How? I mean you're dead to the eyes of the world, you don't haveauthority over the company except that project."

Lex didn't respond, he just pulled out a remote control and pressed a key. One of the screens showed the interior of the Daily Planet's CEO officebut the camera seemed to move like it was carried by someone. "A chip is implanted in Tess's brain, right behind her eyes. That way I can see and hear everything she does. You didn't think I would have let Miss Mercer without any surveillance, did you?" Regan was surprised by the revelation and relieved in a way not to be in her position. He could have sworn he heard his boss chuckle when he showed him the screen, sending shivers through his body. Lex had just shown how much calculating and heartless he was once more. Regan didn't care about Mercerbut that situation had just reminded him that if he disobeyed his boss orders, he would end up killed or much worse.

"Then you know about the Green Arrow and his team." Regan saw no reason to hide him anything since he probably had seen the entire scene in live.

"Of courseI do but there's nothing to be afraid of, they were just looking for the traveler, not me." Explained Lex. "I am dead, remember?"

"Hope you're right…" Regan muttered under his breath.

"What did you say, Regan?"

"Uh, nothing sir." Lex didn't seem to buy his last lie but didn't argue about it as Regan's phone chose the moment to chime in.

"Regan" he answered. "Alright, I'm on my way" He said before hanging up and turning to Lex. "Black Creek just called me. Apparently, Miss Sullivan has a little secret hidden behind that angelic face of hers." His lips twisted in a Machiavellian smile.

"I already know about her healing power" stated Lex.

"This isn't about that Mr. Luthor, this is about her intelligence."Regan answered. He quickly explained was he knew and left to head to Montana.

* * *

_**June 15th 2008. 9:55 AM UTC-6 (8:55 AM Local Time). Black Creek, Montana, USA.** _

Luthorcorp's Black Creek facility had been a very valuable asset in the 33.1 project by the time it was active. It was used to store the subjects presenting the most useful abilities while being the most secure facility of the company until the project was stopped. Though, the end of 33.1 didn't mean releasing the subjects of the project. Besides, the Green Arrow and his team had never been able to find the location of the facility and probably thought every subject had been freed.

They were wrong. But, in this huge complex using wood storing as a cover, there weren't only people from 33.1. Behind the secured door of one of the endless corridors, was a dark room only lit by the TV screen in the middle of it. A feminine face could be seen thanks to the light emanating from the screen. Her blonde hair absorbed the light like a sun would which clearly helped to reveal her identity: Chloe Sullivan was being detained in Luthorcorp's Montana facility: Black Creek.

* * *

_**June 15th 2008. 12:16 PM UTC-6. Isis foundation, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Oliver let out a sigh of frustration before lowering his fist hard on the center table of Chloe's office in Isis. Dinah jumped at the sound. "hey!" she breathed.

"Sorry." he weakly said. "But it's just the third time I recheck Chloe's files and end up with nothing."

"Same here." interjected AC. "Victor just called. They haven't found anything."

Dinah sighed. "I think it's time to-" She didn't have time to finish her sentence when the computer emitted a beep. One of the screens showed a message:

_ONE MATCH_

Dinah quickly tipped on the keyboard and spoke up. "My god! The face recognition has found Clark!" She said. "He's in Russia, a labor camp in Verkhoyansk."

"If he's been here for so long, that would mean he lost his powers, right?" tried AC.

Oliver slowly nodded, not thrilled by the idea but admitted that it could have happened. "I'll go get him, you," he pointed to Dinah and AC. "Stay here and look for Chloe. I'm pretty sure the government has nothing to do with her arrest since my lawyers haven't found anything in their databases."

"Oliver, you can't go in Russia and break into the camp alone, you'll end up captured like him!" Dinah expressed.

"I know how to deal with this kind of guys. They're nothing more than caviar and vodka traffickers."

"Come on bossman, at least accept to let Bart be your back up." AC reasoned him.

"Alright" Oliver gave in. "Call Bart and tell him to join me at the airport as soon as possible."

And with that, he left.

* * *

_**June 15th 2008. 2:00 PM UTC-6. Queen Industries jet, somewhere between Kansas and Russia.** _

Bart and Oliver were in the jet, preparing the way Oliver was going to free Clark from the Russians when Oliver's phone went off.

"Yup?" He responded

"Oliver," AC's voice went in. "Dinah and I have probably found the place where Chloe is detained. You were right, the government has nothing to do with this."

"Where is she?" He went straight to the point.

"Black Creek facility in Montana, it's owned by Luthorcorp."

"Ah! I was sure Lex was behind all of this." Oliver's mood had just turned a little bit better. "Listen, you and Dinah head straight to Montana and tell Vic to prepare himself for being our Watchtower this time. When Bart and I come back with Clark, we'll break in, together;"

"Got it bossman." He hung up.

"What's going on?" Bart asked.

"The guys have found Chloe." He smiled, "We will get her out of Black Creek when we come back."

"Licious?" Bart's face just lit up. Oliver nodded. "Aww can't wait to play her knight!" he was already thrilled by the idea of saving Chloe so he would have to hug her and would probably get a kiss on the cheek from her. His face turned red with the idea.

"Stop dreaming, Impulse!" Oliver protested. "Let me and Clark do that while you free the other prisoners with Dinah, AC and Vic."

"Like hell !" He fumed. "You're gonna get all the fun while I'm stuck at doing the chores!"

Oliver shook his head. "God stop squealing like a kid, Bart!" he reprimanded. "You are the fastest asset of the team, You will liberate the prisoners faster than any of us!"

"But-"

"No buts!" he cut him off. "The plan is the plan! Now let's see how we'll free boyscout from the soviets."

Bart couldn't protest anymore, he knew that his boss never came back on his decisions, fighting him would be a lost cause. He let out a heavy sigh and went back on focusing on the plan.

* * *

_**June 15th 2008. 4:15 PM UTC-6 (3:15 PM Local Time). Black Creek, Montana, USA.** _

Chloe was sat on her chair in front of the screen, ready for another test. Ray, the lab guy who was testing her abilities, was circling around her, preparing the machines.

"Look I'm all for helping my country," Chloe began. "But what kind of secret government mission could an out-of-work newspaper hack pull-off?"

"You're gonna help us catch a few bad guys Chloe." He simply answered.

"By playing sudoku?" She ironized.

"No, these are scrambled transmissions that a group of terrorists used to communicate. And not one of our computers has been able to figure out the algorithm." He explained. "You're our best shot."

The screen changed and displayed several series of coded numbers. Chloe immediately grew serious and focused on the screen.

"Let's do this" She said as she began to read the codes.

"We're looking for three cell phone numbers hidden within the codes." Ray described.

Chloe kept examining the screen and cracked the algorithm of the first number in a few seconds:

"429-555-0169" She said.

An electronic voice spoke up: _Target position acquired._ A blueprint showed up on the screen and a red dot appeared, displaying the position of the terrorist.

"429-555-0132" She kept going. Again, the computer voice confirmed the target position, displaying meters away from the first one. They seemed to be in a building in West Yellowstone according to the plan.

"207-555-0..." Wait a minute, _I_ _'ve already seen that number somewhere._ She thought. _Oh god! Is_ _that … ? Not that 's impossible!_ _It's Oliver's sec_ _ret_ _cell phone number! I just tracked down the league!_

"There's three more." Ray stated.

"These aren't phone numbers of bad guys." She glanced at Ray. "You're not the DDS."

"What's the last number, Chloe?" He was getting impatient.

Reacting on instincts, she kicked Ray in the guts, pulling him against the wall. His computer tablet fell from his hands; Chloe grabbed it and hit his head with it, knocking him to the ground.

She ran out of the room and found herself running in an endless corridor. Countless doors were on each side of the walls. Chloe sprinted toward the end of the corridor when she heard the alarm going off, alerting the guards. When she reached the end of the corridor, she turned to the only open door but was grabbed by a guard who was waiting for her. She tried to fight himbut he held her tight, there was no way she could escape. Another guard arrived, caught her legs she used to kick in the air and they immobilized her on the ground. Ray arrived right after and she heard footsteps behind her and a voice rose: "Find the third at all cost." It was a man's voicebut she didn't know who it belonged to. Though, that wasn't her most important issue at the moment because she just felt a sting penetrating her skin and passed out.


	3. Free of bonds, Bound to reprisals

_'You can learn a lot from someone you hate.' - Lex Luthor, Season 1, Episode 11: "Hug"_

* * *

_**June 16th 2008. 7:11 PM UTC-6 (10:11 AM Local Time). Verkhoyansk, Russia.** _

  
“What are you looking at? You got a problem with me?”

  
Oliver's poker face had come in handy countless times already in his  lifebut right in that moment, he was glad he was so good at it because if he let anything slip they could get killed the next second.

  
“Is my presence here bothering you?”

  
Unfortunately, Clark seemed to be a little slow right now as he looked at Oliver as if he had grown a second head. The latter already knew the alien could be a bit dumb from time to timebut he actually expected Clark to blow his cover right there and right then.

  
Eventually, realization dawned on his face and Oliver didn't know whether to sigh in relief or to roll his eyes. He raised a discreet eyebrow at the farm boy turned slave, silently ordering him to play his game.

  
“Yeah it's starting to!” Clark replied half-defiant half self-conscious as he looked over to the group of men who were watching the two of them with interest, expecting a fight.

  
Oliver was never one to disappoint an audience, and now was no exception. He made a show to mock Clark before punching the other man who made a 180° spin by the strength of the blow.

  
Behind him, Clark could hear the Russians snickering at his plight but he was still reeling in after the effect of Oliver's hit. Being the way he was, Clark hadn't actually expected Oliver to do this but clearly, he was wrong. And boy the man could punch! He'd lost his powers a month ago alreadybut he still wasn't used to feeling that kind of pain. However, if Oliver wanted to play it that way, he would give him a fight.

  
Shouting in defiance, he turned back and grabbed Oliver, propelling them both on the ground where Clark wasted no time taking advantage of the situation. Raising himself above Oliver, he gave him one blow.

  
“What do you think you're doing?!” He whispered incredulous as to the fact he and Oliver were actually fighting in a Russian labor camp out of all places.

  
“Just roll with it!” hissed Oliver. If Clark thought he had the upper-hand, he was terribly mistaken. The next second, roles were reversed: Clark was on the ground with Oliver hovering above him, raining hits on the poor man. The blond hero would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy at all this situation. He'd actually wanted to punch Clark more than once in the past. Now wastime to unleash all his pent-up frustration on the alien. That, and another part of him wanted to punish Clark for letting Lex out of control for so long, for making Lois so desperate and for letting Chloe get captured.

  
A few moments later, Oliver decided the poor Clark had had enough of corrections for one day. He took pity on him and grabbed him by the collar, forcing him up whilst his other hand found a tiny but effective blade in one of his back-pockets, holding it up to Clark's throat. All the while he thought about how terrible of a fighter the younger man was without his powers, something he'd have to remedy in the near future.

  
“I'll take a hundred cases of Beluga, fifty cases of _Osetra_ and this pathetic little punk here!” Oliver barked as he tightened his grip on Clark. “I want the honor of finishing him off!”

  
The Russian owner was more than happy to oblige. “Be my guest. I'll throw him in, for free.”

  
“Very nice! Come on!” Oliver replied before throwing Clark ahead of him in the direction of the exit. His eyes kept discreetly looking around for some kind of danger until they both walked out of the camp and kept going again for half a mile to keep up appearances.

  
They made a stop behind an old gravy building where they met with Bart who was rubbing his hands together gleefully, a glint of excitation in his eyes.

  
“Hey Stretch, what's up?” the young speedster appeared in front of them. “Shit Ollie, what was that? It was just awesome!”

  
He'd been surprised at first to see Oliver fight with Clark as he'd thought something had gone wrong. He'd been half-tempted to rush inside and get them both out until he realized that Oliver was just getting Clark out of the Russian's grip... his way.

  
Seeing Clark Kent and Oliver Queen fight against each other had been so surreal that he had recorded it with his phone. Not that he'd say it aloud, that was something he'd show to Chloe when they got her back so they could laugh at both men.

  
“It wasn't a fair fight anyway.” Oliver smiled arrogantly as he tapped Clark on the shoulder before starting to walk away. “It's good to have you back by the way.”

  
“What do you mean it wasn't a fair fight? I was the one to lead first!” Clark shot back, convinced of his own fighting skills.

  
Oliver just snorted and kept walking away as Bart shook his head almost pitifully at his other friend. “Man you didn't even realize he was holding back. He could knock you out in a flash if he wanted to...” he then sped away to reach Oliver to fuss over him like a fan begging for an autograph, leaving behind a still unconvinced Clark Kent with a wounded ego.

  
“You gonna stand there all day? We got a plane to catch!” Oliver's firm voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

* * *

_**June 17th 2008. 7:02 PM UTC-6 (6:02 PM Local Time). Montana, USA.** _

  
“Slow down Bart, I don't want to end up getting crushed into a wall!” Oliver chided the younger man behind the steering wheel of the black SUV driving the three heroes to meet with the rest of their team.

“Aw, but this car is too damn slow Ollie!” whined the teenager who as usual was feeling restless especially after being forced to take the plane with the two other men.

“Bart could you listen to him, please? You're kind of breaking speed limit by double right now...” added Clark whose hand was firmly gripping the handle at his side.

Oliver watched him with mild amusement as Bart kept complaining about how boring they both were. The young alien didn't seem particularly reassured at the moment and he couldn't blame him. Bart didn't always realize the rest of the world wasn't as fast as him. That was the reason Oliver had always been reticent to let the speedster drive any carbut lately, he'd been maturing a lot, getting more responsible. Well, right now he wasn't so sure of that but...

The generic ring tone of his secret cellphone pulled him out of his thoughts and he was quick to answer when he saw Victor Stone's name flash across the screen.

“What's up Vic?”

“ _We've got a problem.”_ That was blunt and clear just like the man himself.

“What's wrong?” asked Oliver immediately. That didn't sound good.

“ _I've been trying to reach Dinah and AC for hours, they're not picking up.”_ exposed the cyborg. _“Actually, their dots are not even showing on my screen and Dinah assured me they both turned it on when they last checked in. So I can only draw one conclusion...”_

  
“They got caught.” Oliver guessed, drawing the attention of both men in the front of the car. “Do you know what happened?”

  
“ _I don't Oliver, I'm still in Uruguay here and the motel they last were isn't equipped with any cameras.”_ The desperation in his teammate's voice renewed the archer's concern for his friends.

  
He cursed. “Listen, we'll check out the place and if they're truly gone then there's only one possibility of where they could be.”

  
“ _Black Creek.”_ Victor immediately understood.

  
“Exactly.” agreed Oliver. “So, if we've got confirmation then we'll break in there with only the three of us and you'll play our Watchtower this time.”

  
He heard the other man sigh on the other end of the line. _“Alright but you better get our original Watchtower back, I'm not okay with standing behind the scenes, especially if I'm needed on site.”_

  
“Yeah and you don't really look as good as her either...” joked Oliver.

  
“ _Right,”_ snorted Victor before adding, _“Call me when you're there.”_ then he hung up.

  
Oliver smirked  slightlybut his expression turned serious again as he explained the situation to his two friends.

  
“We better hurry then!” Bart announced heatedly.

  
Oliver nodded even as he saw Clark pale. “Go on.”

  
The engine roared with fury as Bart pressed the gas pedal all the way down, making the car speed up way beyond the limit to get them faster to their destination.

* * *

_**June 17th 2008. 7:36 PM UTC-6 (6:36 PM Local Time). Black Creek, Montana, USA.** _

  
“ _The way I jammed the security system you got fifteen minutes tops.”_ announced Victor through the  coms.

  
“Any way you could give us more time?” asked Oliver now clad in his favorite suit, the one that made his enemies' blood turn cold as fear overtook them, the one that made him the unforgiving and determined vigilante that every lawbreaker was cursing and afraid of. Today, once again, Oliver Queen was turning into the best part of himself: The _Green Arrow_ was in the place. And he didn't like at all the people who dared to attack his team.

  
His com sizzled again and Bart and Clark looked at him with similar impatient expressions on their faces.

  
Victor made a negative noise. _“Sorry guys but they've got their entire security system unreachable from the web. What I did was a one-shot.”_

  
“Understood, there no time to lose then.” The Green Arrow began to stick several tiny devices around the large steeled door of the Black Creek facility.

  
“ _Oh, one more thing Arrow.”_ Victor cut in again. _“I was unable to deactivate the cameras, they're part of the local security network so... keep your head down.”_

  
Oliver sighed. “Roger that, Cyborg. We're going in. Now.” He now understood why Victor felt he was more needed on-site. Lex seemed to have learned from the past and made sure they couldn't hack their way through his facilities anymore.

  
Didn't matter anyway, it was too late to back down. They had no choice but to pursue blindly into the lion's den.

  
A few moments later, the heavy metal of the door slammed down with a loud thud and the three heroes walked inside quickly, knowing they didn't have all the time in the world.

  
“Impulse, you know what to do.” Green Arrow ordered.

  
“See you in five, boss.” Bart replied with a determination he had been showing more and more lately, that made Oliver proud. The next second, he was gone zooming his way through the corridors.

  
“Boy scout, you stay behind me.” added Oliver but it seemed they weren't on the same page.

  
“No, we'll cover more ground if we split up.” argued Clark.

  
The Green Arrow turned around to look at the other man, a mix of disbelief and irritation showing on his face. “What are you gonna do if you get caught? Bite someone?” he called him upon the fact that he was now powerless and that his fighting abilities would not get him out of here especially against trained guards.

  
“I'm not gonna argue with you, Chloe's in danger.” said Clark with a hint of finality in his tone.

  
 _There he was,_ Oliver thought heatedly, _the self-righteous ass was back even without his powers!_ “Fine, Clark. You be the hero.” Oliver acquiesced angrily. “Just know I might not be there to save you!”

  
After all that was his choice, and right now, Oliver had more pressing issues to take care of. Like getting his teammates and the other prisoners out of here.

* * *

The next minutes were tense and suspiciously quiet on Oliver's side. He hadn't met any guards, doctors or whatever staff they could have in here. It was like the people working there had been told to hide. It felt too much like a _trap_.

  
“Cyborg.” asked Oliver, a finger pressed to his ear.

  
“ _Come in Arrow.”_

  
“I got a bad feeling, it's too easy, too calm.” explained the hero. “What's Impulse and Scout status?”

  
“ _Scout managed to find his way into the heart of the building but Impulse had to help him twice against guards.”_ At that, Oliver snorted. He had told him so. _“And Impulse's almost done getting the prisoners out.”_

  
“Good, very good.” replied Oliver. “Any sign of Tower, Aquaman and Canary yet?” he asked, hopeful.

  
“ _Not yet, but we'll find them, Arrow.”_

  
“We will.” There was no way he was letting anyone in his team down, not ever. “Listen, I'll keep looking but warn the others to keep an eye out.”

  
His request was met by nothing but a constant crackling noise in his ear, _statics_. “Cyborg, do you copy? Cyborg?!” _Damn it! They turned on the scramblers._ He thought grimly. He was now sure there was a trap somewhere for him and the rest of his team.

  
Now extra-cautious of his surroundings, the Emerald Archer moved silently down the empty corridor until he was met by a double door. Their small windows were blurred and it was dark inside. Activating his night vision, he pushed the door open and moved inside at a slow pace.

  
It looked like it was the abandoned part of the building. The room was bare of any furniture and there were cobwebs at several spots. However, the sound of chains hitting together drew his attention.

  
Crouching low, he paced soundlessly closer to the sound, all the while gripping firmly his crossbow in his right hand. Now he could hear someone breathing along with faint grunts of pain.

  
His investigation was fruitful when he turned left to inspect a hidden corner of the room and his eyes fell on two of his partners: Black Canary and Aquaman chained up to their wrists from the cellar.

  
He was  silentbut AC was the first to see him. No surprise crossed his face instead he yelled: “ARROW! RUN!”

  
Instantly, the doors opened and several guards entered the room gun in hand. Oliver now got confirmation of the trap set up on him but as he saw the men closing in on him carefully, barking at him to drop his weapon, a defiant thought crossed his mind.

  
_He wouldn't be called the Green Arrow if he didn't fight back. He never gave up, he couldn't!_

  
A second later, one first guard was knocked out without even realizing what was happening. Two others rushed forward to grab  himbut he was faster. He jumped onward and wrapped his arm around the throat of the closest one, using him as a human shield. He kicked the second man twice and he was out.

  
Using his crossbow, he shot three times while squeezing the guard's throat hard enough to make him fall unconscious.

  
His three taser-arrows hit their targets and there was only two more men to take down when, suddenly, the sound of a gun being cocked filled his ears.

  
“Give up, Green Arrow.” A voice he'd already heard once called from behind him. “Or your friends are dead.”

  
Loosening his grip on the man he'd grabbed, the latter slumped to the ground half-conscious as Oliver raised his hands up and slowly turned around to find Regan Matthews pressing a gun against AC's temple.

  
Grinning smugly, Regan pointed to Oliver's hand. “Now please lower your crossbow and no one will get hurt.”

  
He had no choice but to oblige otherwise AC would get killed, then Dinah, then him. As soon as his weapon hit the ground, the two guards remaining standing grabbed him and he was expecting them to tie him up somehow instead, he let out a sharp gasp when he felt a needle pierce through his skin. A green fluid being injected in his veins and then, his mind went blank.

  
“Now, I want you to do whatever it takes to _kill_ the Traveler!”

* * *

“Hey boss, I just finished there, any news about Licious or Fish-stick or-”

  
“Bart look out!” A voice shouted from behind him. He turned around to see Clark standing in the middle of the main stairs.

  
“Wha- _ow_!”

  
The young man fell on the ground, out. Behind him, the Green Arrow lowered his crossbow to get his hands on the large bow attached to his back.

  
Less than two seconds later, the weapon already had an arrow loaded, ready to fire. A _sharp_ arrow pointed in Clark's direction.

  
“Oliver, wait!” the powerless alien raised a hand to try to calm him but he was already having a hard time not letting his fear get to him. “What are you doing?”

  
Oliver would never do that if he were in his normal state of mind. Someone must have done something to him while he was gone.

  
The Green Arrow's standing figure hadn't moved an inch since he first aimed at Clark, his entire being was focused on his target. A voice inside his head told him to shoot, that it was the right thing to do. Then why did he have the dreadful impression that something was wrong? Horribly wrong?

  
He blinked, and then, just like that, his doubts were gone, his eyes once again narrowed on the prey in front of him, his fingers tingling with impatience.

  
Clark's words registered in his brain and without even realizing it, he replied. “I'm just killing the _Traveler_!”

  
It wasn't much more of a  whisperbut it froze Clark on his feet. There was nothing he could do as he watched Oliver release the arrow, letting it fly straight into his chest.

  
A piercing pain made itself known close to his heart and he looked down at the arrow embedded in his flesh. Not quite realizing what was happening, he reached and pulled it out before throwing a disbelieving look in Oliver's direction who hadn't moved at all.

  
A flash of green invaded Oliver's eyes for a second and then, he felt the drug leaving his brain, letting him take control again over his own body. He felt much better at that however it didn't last long as he looked up and came across Clark's weakened form, collapsed on the ground. A pool of blood under him.

  
Everything shattered in him as he realized that he was the one who shot him. _Oh no, no, no! What have I done?!_

  
Without a second thought, he pulled his hood back and took off his dark glasses, rushing at Clark's side whose groans of pain were becoming weaker by the minute.

  
“God, oh God!” in an instant he was crouched at the dying man's side, trying his best to stop the hemorrhage, vainly. “Clark, come on!” He felt the tears building up in his eyes. “I'm so sorry,” his broken whisper was doing no good but he didn't know what else to do.

  
“Sorry, Clark, please! Clark!” The other man was slipping quickly and it literally tore at his heart that there was nothing he could do to fix what he'd broken.

  
“Oh, God!” A soft voice gasped from behind them. Oliver blinked several times and looked up to find Chloe Sullivan running down the stairs in their direction. “Oh, no!”

  
Oliver's hand were shaking uncontrollably as he stood up slowly at her arrival, looking at her with a mix of grief, hope and fear. He was afraid that she could think he was a  murdererbut he also knew that if someone could save Clark, it was Chloe.

  
“I couldn't stop myself...” explained Oliver, his entire being filled with horror and self-hatred. What was _she_ going to think?

  
Chloe looked up at him with glassy  eyesbut there was no accusation on her face, just the fear of losing her best friend. “Oliver move back! I can save him.” she said with more assurance than she felt.

  
The blond hero didn't waste time making room for her at Clark's side. The alien was already half-gone at the moment, it was just a matter of time before the battle was lost.

  
He heard Clark protest faintly and Chloe tell him he was going to be okay. He didn't know what she was going to dobut he trusted her. She put her hand softly over the wound on his chest and then, they waited.

  
_One, two, five, ten seconds. Nothing!_

  
“It's not working!” exclaimed Chloe, a hint of panic in her voice. “Clark?”

  
It was too late, Oliver knew that judging by the look on Clark's face, he was living his last moments before his dying breath. He fell to his knees and watched, powerless, the life leaving the alien until...

  
“I'm here, Kal-El.” A firm yet caring voice pulled Oliver out of his trance and the three of them looked up at a tall black-skinned man sporting a reassuring expression on his face.

  
Right at this moment Clark expired, the man took him in his arms and Chloe and Oliver watched in amazement as he flew away through the window, leaving a red fluorescent trail behind him.

* * *

He didn't know how long they stood there, just the two of them, still watching the spot on the sky where the two aliens disappeared. He hadn't even fully processed everything when Chloe turned towards him and he was fully expecting her to yell at him, telling him he was a murderer.

  
She did none of that. Instead, the pain on her face was gone, replaced by a relieved yet still uncertain smile on her face.

  
He stared at her tearfully. “I didn't want to... I'm sorry...”

  
“It wasn't you Oliver.” she took a step closer and put a hand on his arm to show him he wasn't responsible.

  
“I killed him.”

  
She shook her head. “No you didn't!” she said firmly. “The drug forced you to shoot him, and he isn't dead.”

  
Oliver opened and closed his mouth several times before eventually asking: “How could you know?”

  
She smiled softly at that. “Years of experience taught me that Clark Kent is definitely hard to kill.”

  
Despite everything he returned her smile by a faint of his own. “Then I believe you.” He was already feeling much better but he would  
only be reassured the next time he was going to see Clark, alive and well.

  
They looked at each other for a long moment until a faint groan caught their attention. “Oww.” Bart moaned as he rubbed the back of his head miserably. “What the heck was that boss?” asked the young man pitifully.

  
Chloe just grinned. “That's a long story. Now let's get AC and Dinah and get out of here.”

* * *

_**June 17th 2008. 8:04 PM UTC-6 (7:04 PM Local Time). Black Creek, Montana, USA.** _

  
Regan Matthews wiped the sweat off his forehead nervously as he dialed a number on his cellphone with his other hand before lifting it to his ear.

  
The man on the other end of the line didn't waste any time before answering.

  
“ _I hope you made the call from a secure line.”_

  
The words were spoken  calmlybut Regan didn't miss the hidden threat. He gulped. “Yes Mr. Luthor.”

  
“ _Are you done with Miss Sullivan?”_ asked Lex.

  
Regan cleared his throat. “About that...”

  
“ _Yes?”_

  
“We ran into a little problem here...” explained Matthews anxiously as he tugged at his collar.

  
“ _Elaborate!”_ Lex ordered tensely.

  
The other man took a deep breath before speaking. “The Green Arrow and his freaks broke her out.” he blurted out and braced himself for what was coming next.

  
There was a moment of silence. _“Are you telling me you had them all within reach and you let them go?!”_ hissed Lex, not even trying to hide the venom in his voice anymore. He was seething inside.

  
“Mr Luthor-”

  
“ _You're an incapable, Regan!”_ his boss exploded. _“I warned you about them and you still didn't take the needed precautions!”_

  
“Mr Luthor...” he tried again without much success.

  
“ _You know what this is? This is sloppy work! That's how I call it!”_ Lex's anger was beginning to drain his precious strengths. He breathed sharply a couple of times before resuming his rant. _“I swear to you there will be consequences to your actions!”_

  
“Mr Luthor-”

  
“ _What is it?!”_

  
Regan swallowed hard. “I think I have something that... will interest you.”

  
“ _I don't think so, Regan!”_

  
“I just sent you a footage of Black Creek's video security feed.” Lex's right hand exposed before his boss could yell at him again.

  
“ _It better be good!”_ with that, he hung up.

* * *

_**June 17th 2008. 8:06 PM UTC-6. Cadmus Labs, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

  
At the same time in the secret underground level of Cadmus Labs, Lex Luthor breathed in deeply to calm himself. Dr. Groll had told him he needed to stay calm otherwise he could compromise his operation and that wasn't what he needed at the moment.

  
Opening Regan's video footage on the large screen in front of him, Lex watched as the image of a part of Black Creek's facility appeared on screen.

  
His eyes widened as his interest was peaked when Clark Kent's form fell into sight. He looked injured judging by the pool of blood beneath him. Had Regan managed to finish what he had started? He first thought that the interest of the video was Clark Kent's death until, to his surprise, a green silhouette appeared at the bottom of the screen.

  
Lex's eyes narrowed with hate. The Green Arrow.

  
His breath was cut short when the vigilante pushed his hood back, revealing an extremely familiar blond head. Was it possible that...?

  
His question was quickly answered as the blond man ran to Clark's side to fuss over him. The camera caught a shot of his profile and Lex paused the video.

  
A loud cry of rage escaped him, he sent the many boxes of pills of his side-table on the ground.

  
Back on the screen, was the unmistakable face of Oliver Queen. The two men Lex hated the most were in fact one and only. Star City's irresponsible playboy was a terrorist. That gave Lex one more reason to wish the end of Oliver Queen and he swore in that moment that he was going to turn his life into a living hell.

  
_No matter what,_

  
_No matter why,_

  
_For justice,_

  
_For vengeance,_

  
_There was no going back._

* * *

_**June 17th 2008. 10:49 PM UTC-6. Clocktower Penthouse, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

  
“Oh, it's _so_ good to be home again!” exclaimed Bart as he slouched on the nearest couch. Behind him the rest of the team were walking out of the elevator to enter Oliver's penthouse.

  
“Uh, technically this is _my_ penthouse, Bart.” pointed out Oliver. He opened his mouth when he saw his entire team walking into his apartment like they owned the place. “At least that's what I thought.” he mumbled.

  
“Oh come on, Ollie! You've got like five different places across the country.” AC chimed in.

  
“Yeah and could you hit the door on your way out, please? We'd appreciate!” Victor pressed the teasing.

  
The billionaire in the room rolled his eyes. “You're all hilarious. Remember who's the one signing your paychecks.”

  
“Pfft!” Dinah dismissed him, waving a hand in the air. “We all know that Chloe's been taking care of that lately.” she reminded him.  
“Anyway; I'll hit the showers first!” she announced.

  
AC was quick to  protestbut she was already far ahead when he left the room to try to steal the first place. In reality there were two showers in the penthouse but since the very beginning Oliver had never ceased to remind his teammates that his private shower was his and only his. The one for the guest was theirs.

  
Oliver was a well known face in the entire world, both for his business and his playboy achievements. He was alright with the public obligations his two famous personas had, and he was never alone for long. There was always someone around him to watch, spy even on, what he was doing and planning to do.

  
These people either were members of Queen Industries' Board of Directors who didn't quite trust him oncertain matter, and mostly, they didn't want him to mess up the company's image like he did in the past.

  
There were journalists too, along with paparazzis and a few insane fans from time to time. The list was as long as his armbut the point was, he was never alone.

  
And his shower was one of the only places he could be himself and enjoy a simple thing like feeling the water pouring on his body without worrying about anyone who could watch him. Despite his reputation, Oliver could be a very private person and only his closest friends knew that.

  
A soft chuckle he hadn't heard for a while brought his out of his head. A smile appeared on his face without even realizing as he turned around to see Chloe looking up at him, amusement dancing in her eyes.

  
“I don't think I even want to hear you, right now!” he told her, his voice filling with laughter despite the scowl he was trying to maintain.

  
Chloe opened her mouth to protest but closed it when Oliver pinned her down with his glare. “Not a word.”

  
She bit on her inferior lip as if to stop herself from talking. She managed to stay quiet for a maximum of ten seconds and then, she gave in.

  
“They're... kind of right, you know?” she spoke while raising herself a bit on her toes for emphasis. “What?” she asked with raised eyebrows when she saw the way Oliver was looking at her. “You're the billionaire in this club of tight wearing heroes-”

  
“They're not tights!”

  
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Are you trying to convince me or yourself here?” she shot back sweetly.

  
He just dropped his head and sighed dramatically in response. “And here I thought these jokes were over...” he whined but he couldn't say he hadn't missed it, it was like their own private joke.

  
“Already regretting my liberation? I can go back to Black Creek by myself if you'd like.” she teased.

  
Oliver's eyebrows shot up in alarm, “Don't you dare!” he ordered with a pointed finger. “This team was a mess without its Watchtower and I was going to strangle Bart with my own hands if I heard him say his 'Licious' let him do whatever he wants when she's bossing us around!”

  
“That's because she's the real boss, Boss!” Bart's sleep filled voice interrupted their moment. “She's like... you know, the woman in the shadows, this kind of things.” he waved his hand in the air before falling back asleep.”

  
“Yeah well, I'm sure this woman in the shadows right here,” he turned back to the feisty blonde. “would trade just about anything for a cup of coffee right now.” he whispered conspiratorially to her.

  
Chloe's eyes widened and filled with hope. “Coffee?” she asked as if it were something she'd been forbidden to for a hundred years. “And why trading? I'd literally _kill_ for a cup of coffee right now!”

  
Oliver laughed, really laughed for the first time in weeks. “That's what I thought!” he grinned as he tapped her nose and began to lead her towards his kitchen, all the while his hand rested innocently on the small of her back, the both of them oblivious to it.

  
However, Victor hadn't missed it and he'd been watching their banter since they started a good ten minutes ago. He had just enjoyed every second of  itbut there was something else that caught his attention. Something he hadn't seen before and he was sure it had been there for a whilebut he hadn't seen it until now. The two blonds seemed awfully close without even trying to. When they talked together they were in their own bubble.

  
He had seen the way they both blinked in confusion for a second when Bart cut through their conversation earlier, it was like an intrusion in their moment. However, it wasn't long before the bubble came back and he now watched as they reached the kitchen and flirted happily.

  
“Why such violence?” Oliver asked. “I got everything you need right here!” he announced proudly as he showed off the numerous bags of coffee resting on the kitchen island, unaware of the second meaning of his sentence.

  
“Really?” Chloe asked with a raised eyebrow.

  
He just grinned back at her like he'd been doing for the past ten minutes.

* * *

_**June 17th 2008. 10:54 PM UTC-6. MetGen, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

  
It was very late in the afternoon and today was a pretty uneventful day for Metropolis General Hospital, which the nurse at the reception desk supposed was a good thing but she was actually too bored at the moment to really believe that.

  
As soon as the thought formed on her mind she cursed herself and wondered if she was started to become cynical. Probably another side effect of the job that her employer hadn't considered worth informing her of. Just one of many, she reminded herself, just one of many.

  
Her poor line of thoughts was interrupted when a tall, broad man approached her desk. A polite, tired smile crossed his attractive face.

  
“Hi,” he sounded exhausted. “I'm the new paramedic, I was supposed to start today but my bus got immobilized when we reached the  Riverfall tunnel.”

  
A huge fire had invaded the long tunnel at the south-east exit of Topeka and the firemen squad spent nearly twelve hours trying to put it off.

  
“Oh I'm sorry to hear that, I saw the fire on the news.” the nurse replied, welcoming the distraction despite the subject of conversation. “It sounds like you had a long journey.” she commented as she began to search for his identity in the hospital's database.

  
“Yeah, I come from Maryland.” The paramedic answered vaguely.

  
The woman looked up at him, then at her screen and smiled. “Welcome to Metropolis Davis Bloome, things may be weirder than Maryland here but I think you'll like it.”

  
Davis smiled thankfully. “I look forward to it.”


	4. You, Over The Rest Of The World

 

 

_'I still have to break it to Oliver, but I won't let a hero give up his world for me.' - Chloe Sullivan, Season 10, Episode 15: “Fortune”_

* * *

_**June 17th 2008. 11:22 PM UTC-6. Clocktower Penthouse, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

  
Victor sighed and looked around from his spot on the couch. Apart from the two blonds in the kitchen, the penthouse was silent. Dinah took off for the shower half an hour ago and still hadn't come out yet much to AC's dismay. Speaking of the dolphin lover, Victor noticed the latter was busy drowning himself in his numerous bottles of water around him. He just shook his head.

  
Finally, the last member of their little party, Bart, was still out on the couch. The kid deserved it though. He'd been a hundred percent focused on the mission for the past month, no surprise he was spent. Anyway, Chloe and Clark had been found and the mission was over now, it was time to rest.

  
The fact was, Victor was a cyborg. As such, he didn't exactly tire out like everyone else, it only happened when his batteries reached a critical level, which wasn't the case yet. He would actually be bored out of his mind if it wasn't for the couple in the kitchen. The two heads of the Justice League had been flirting happily since they set foot inside the penthouse a little over a half hour ago.

  
He had been watching them since then and they both were so focused on each other they hadn't even noticed him yet. He smirked. How could he not realize how entertaining these two were together? They were so comfortable around the other, it couldn't have happened overnight. Victor should have seen it a long time  agobut he figured it was better late than never. Anyway, he knew he was in for a lot of fun. This was going to help him relax after all the stress they'd all been put through in the last month.

  
He was beginning to think he should make a bet with AC on them when the sound of a door opening loudly at the other end of the apartment caught his attention.

  
“Shower's free!” Dinah called.

  
AC sprung into action, jumping on his feet and practically breaking into a run for the shower. Victor chuckled. “That's right you better run, Fish-stick! You were starting to stink!”

The other man slowed in his movement as he glared at him playfully. “Don't be jealous Metal-man,” he shot back. “at least _I_ don't rust!”

  
Victor opened his mouth to  arguebut Bart's sleep addled voice beat him to it. “Can't be worse than the last time we were in Iran, y'know?” he raised his head and opened one eye at AC's direction. “You were smelling like a squid drying up in the desert, gah!”

  
AC pouted and Victor snickered until he saw the look on Chloe's face as she approached the three men quietly, followed by a confused Oliver. “Chloe?”

  
She ignored him. “You guys were in Iran?” she asked with raised eyebrows.

  
_Oh, oh..._

  
Victor realized Bart had put his foot in his mouth. He looked up at Oliver and saw the colors drain from his face.

  
He bit back a grin. “About a month ago,” Victor explained. “We were trying to end a conflict that could turn into a civil war there.”

  
“Yup til we got wind of what was going on with  ya Chloelicious and we went to save you!” Bart chimed in without thinking about his words.

  
Oliver face-palmed himself and Victor watched gleefully Chloe turning towards their leader, a furious expression on her face. “Oliver Queen!” she demanded, stomping her foot down and crossing her arms over her chest. “Don't tell this is what I think it is!”

  
Oliver averted her gaze. “Huh....”

  
“Did you actually leave Iran _just_ to save me and Clark?” when the blond billionaire kept avoiding her glare she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Oliver I never told you that because I thought you'd have made the right choice when that moment would come but apparently I'll have to spell it out for you.” she began, irritated.

  
“Chloe, I-” Oliver tried to explain  himselfbut she cut him off by holding a hand up.

  
This time she addressed everybody because she knew Oliver wasn't the only one at cause. “You guys can never chose to save me and Clark over the rest of the world, this is.... this is just... _wrong_.” All of a sudden the atmosphere in the room grew colder. “I know Clark agrees with me. We do not want any special treatment just because we know you!”

  
She looked at them in the eyes one by one to make sure they understood what she was saying.  Eventuallyshe spun towards their leader and caught his gaze that bore an intensity she'd rarely seen in the past.

  
“Oliver, promise me that next time you won't choose us over the rest of the world.” she whispered, her heart speeding up under his burning gaze even though she did her best to ignore it. “Promise me.”

  
Everyone was silent as all eyes watched the two blonds in the center of the room with some kind of apprehension. The gravity of the conversation drawing a stark contrast with their previous warm and joyful mood.

  
Oliver held her gaze for several minutes, his face wearing a pained expression before he finally shook his head slowly. “I can't.” he replied quietly.

  
He saw Chloe's shoulders slump and he kept talking before she could interrupt him. “I'm not letting anyone in this team down.” he shook his head. “I'm sorry Chloebut you're part of this team, you and Clark... and the rule applies to you both.”

  
Chloe gaped at him, opening and closing her mouth several times. “But this is unfair!” she exclaimed. “Unfair to all these people back there who are dying just because you left to save us! How can't yo-”

  
“Oliver's right Chloe.” Dinah cut her off calmly as she moved forward. “We can't save strangers if we can't even protect our own friends.”

  
The smaller blonde gnawed on her inferior lip at Dinah's words, considering them as the others all made approving noises and nods.

  
“Yeah we'd be some hypocrites trying to help people in another country when Lex was left without surveillance back home so...” AC shrugged. “We went to get you back.”

  
Chloe stayed silent for a moment, thinking things over. They did have a point, she was going to give them that. And apparently, all of them agreed with Oliver but still, it didn't sit well with her.

  
“Chloe...” Oliver's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she looked up at him. “If it can make you feel any better, we'd just arrived in Iran when Lois called me and we were only doing some recon work.” He paused to moisten his throat, unsure about why her opinion of him mattered so much. “Now I promise you, we are going to head back there as soon as we've gotten enough rest, that's my word.”

  
She sighed. “Okay...” she conceded and immediately saw everyone's faces lit up. “But, on one condition!”

  
Oliver's smile left his face and he raised an eyebrow. “Which is?”

  
Chloe hold his gaze for a few seconds before a slow smile traced her lips. “I get to supervise you for this mission, I want complete access to the information you get and... you can't say no to me.”

  
The billionaire grinned. “Deal!”

  
The group erupted in joy and laughter filled the room as Bart pumped his fist in the air. “Yeah! Mamacita's gonna boss us around again!”

  
Chloe chuckled at his antics as she went to hug Oliver. Once in his arms, she raised herself on her tiptoes to put her chin on his shoulder and whispered in his ear. “I don't like what you did.” she admitted. “But I understand.”

  
“Let's agree to disagree then?” he asked hopefully.

  
“Okay.” she acquiesced.

  
Oliver's grin grew wider and he kissed her temple without thinking about it. “Thanks Sidekick.”

  
A gust of wind blew through the room and Chloe felt Oliver's body tense in her arms. Had it been in other circumstances she would have asked him what was wrong but as her eyes fell upon a healthy looking Clark Kent, the wave of relief that washed over her pulled her out of her thoughts.

  
“Oh thank god!” she breathed easier now as she left Oliver's embrace to practically run towards Clark, wrapping her arms around him as she hugged her best friend. “You're alright!”

  
“I'm okay.” the alien replied as his arms tightened around her.

  
Chloe hadn't doubted he was going to livebut she couldn't help the anxiety that had built inside of her as she knew it was only going to fade when she saw him in person and made sure he was safe and sound. She and Clark had been friends for so many years they practically were family, something she hadn't had much in her past. He was the boy her younger self had pinned for during most of her teenage years and he was now someone she could consider her brother. All the trials they'd been through, they made it out alive and stronger thanks to each other so, to know that he actually was here and well, with his power was a huge relief....  _wait a minute! With his powers?!_

  
Her eyes widened as she pulled back a little to look at him. “Clark... you've got your powers back?”

  
He just smiled and nodded. “The man who took me away when we were in Black Creek gave them back to me. He's an alien too, Chloe.”

  
“A... Kryptonian?”

  
Clark shook his head. “He's a Martian.” he replied with all the seriousness of the world.

  
Victor chuckled from behind them. “So, I guess we're definitely not alone in this universe, right?”

  
Clark let go of Chloe to shake Victor's hand. “You're definitely not.” he grinned.

  
“Welcome back, Clark.” The cyborg patted his shoulder warmly.

  
Dinah stepped up behind him. “This is just the second time we meet and you surprise me again, Clark.” she smirked as she nodded at him respectfully. “How was the trip back from the dead?”

  
The alien made a face. “I've known better.” They laughed and AC took that moment to shake hands with him.

  
“Good to have you back dude.”

  
“Man, move you're like... hogging him!” Bart complained making AC turn around.

  
“Hogging him? He's not a Teddy Bear!”

  
The younger man rolled his eyes. “But I've known him longer than you so get your stinky ass in the shower so I can talk to him.”

  
AC growled but moved back as Bart zoomed to Clark's side before clasping a hand on his shoulder. “What's up, amigo? You know you got me worried for a second?” he spoke animatedly. “When they said you didn't have your powers I thought I couldn't show you how slow you are in a race! So how'bout one right now?”

  
Clark shook his head affectionately. “Bart..”

  
Howeverthe moment was cut short when Chloe cleared her throat patiently and all heads turned to her. She nodded in Oliver's directions who was watching Clark with an unreadable expression on his face.

  
“Why don't we let them talk alone for a moment?” she proposed quietly.

  
Everybody understood and began to vacate the room, leaving the two men alone to talk about what had happened back in Montana. Chloe laid a supportive hand on Oliver's arm for a moment and gave him an encouraging smile before she left too. And with her departure, silence settled in the atmosphere.

  
They did nothing but watch each other for a minute before Oliver swallowed nervously and took a hesitant step forward, then two, before finally closing the distance between them offering a hand to Clark.

  
“Clark, I'm...” he took a deep breath to try to contain the fresh feeling of guilt that churned in his stomach. “I'm sorry for what I did to you, I shouldn't... I shouldn't have...”

  
“It's okay, Oliver. I understand.” Clark smiled as he took his hand.. “You have nothing to be sorry for, you were drugged, it wasn't you.”

  
“No, Clark.” Oliver whispered, his voice hoarse. “It's not just that. I've been an ass to you ever since we found you in Russia, I shouldn't have acted like that and I'm sorry.”

  
The other man pursed his lips and looked at him for a moment. “You're a good friend Oliver.” he put a hand on his shoulder. “I know you blame me for letting Lex without surveillance and as much as it hurts to say that... you're right, Oliver.” he explained. “I should have been more careful with him and I won't let it happen again.”

  
The billionaire shook his head. “Clark, most of the things I did or said, were because I was on my nerves. It had nothing to do with you.”

  
“What matters now is that we work together at finding Lex and bring him to justice.”

  
Oliver smirked faintly. “Finally decided you couldn't always work alone, Boy Scout? You know my offer is still on the table. You can join us whenever you want.”

  
Clark nodded. “I haven't forgotten. Who knows? Maybe someday.”

  
“Whatever you want buddy.” the blond man sighed. “Come on it's getting late. You're here to get Chloe back home, right? I'm pretty sure Lois must be eating her nails with worry right now.”

  
The alien snorted. “She does that all the time.” he complained. “Did you know she almost went to Black Creek by herself just to find Chloe? She also threatened to turn Shelby into a corned beef when I told her I know where Chloe  isbut she couldn't come with me?” he shook his head. “The woman's crazy!”

  
Oliver laughed. “Sounds like Lois.”

 

* * *

_**June 18th 2008. 02:05 AM UTC-6. Clocktower Penthouse, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

  
The dark had taken over entirely for a few hours already when Oliver found his way to bed. With Chloe back at the Talon, in safety, Clark at the farm and the rest of his friends occupying his guest bedrooms, the young hero had been able to find sleep relatively easily.

  
It hadn't been too hard considering the past month he and the team spent looking for Clark and Chloe had been pretty stressful and exhausting and now that they were both back, he'd been able to relax. As a consequence the accumulation of sleepless nights were taking its toll on him and Oliver had expected to have a peaceful and healing night of eight-hours sleep only to find out he was sadly mistaken. Twenty minutes after his eyes closed, he began sweating intensely as old memories came back to the surface. Memories he had buried deep inside his mind to try to forget them, forever.

 

* * *

_The string of his bow was pulled back tightly as the sharp arrow slid into the cradle, only awaiting for his fingers to release it to embed itself into its target approximately a hundred yards in front of him._

* * *

“ _Oliver, wait!” It was Clark's voice, he sounded frightened. “What are you doing?”_

* * *

_The man stood relaxed, proud, happy as he sipped onto the expensive whiskey in his glass, oblivious to the danger ahead of him. “Rafe, Ven aquí, es hermoso en la noche, chico!” _

* * *

“ _I'm just killing the traveler!” he let the arrow accomplish its deadly role as it sizzled through the air. Clark received it right above the heart and he let out a tearing scream of pain._

* * *

_The man slumped to the ground without another word as a little boy arrived at the same moment._

“ _Papá!”_

* * *

  
Oliver woke up with a start, his whole body almost jumping out of the bed because of the force of his nightmare. He looked around frantically for a moment, panicked. Hot tears mixed with the beads of sweat running down his face and he tried to wipe them away. He cried harder.

“What have I done?” he whispered brokenly.

* * *

_**June 18th 2008. 02:07 AM UTC-6. The Talon, Smallville, Kansas, USA.** _

  
A little more than a hundred miles from here, Chloe wasn't doing much better in her bed at the Talon. She began mumbling incoherently in her sleep as gruesome images flashed before her eyes.

 

* * *

_The ultimate destroyer is hungry!_

* * *

_ Segments of kryptonian symbols invaded her vision and a terrifying creature with murderous red eyes found her. She yelled and tried to run away only to find her path blocked by Milton Fine. _

“ _This is your destiny.” he told her with his usual emotionless tone. “There is nothing you can do to stop this.”_

* * *

_Mine! The beast growled, dangerously approaching her. Right as it grabbed her, she heard Brainiac's voice echoing everywhere around them as she yelled at the top of her lungs, the purest form of fright she'd ever experienced seized her._

* * *

“ _Doomsday is coming!”_

* * *

  
Chloe woke up suddenly, she gasped for air as her heart beat wildly in her chest, her eyes wide with fear. Moisture welled up in them and she let the tears fall as she brought her knees up to her chest, hugging herself in a supposedly reassuring posture. She couldn't help remembering how afraid and powerless she had felt in her dream. Her head was killing her and she felt nauseous and chilly. She trembled.

“What's happening to me?” she murmured dreadfully.


	5. The Persian Hatch

 

_'The one person I should have been protecting the most... I failed her.' - Oliver Queen, Season 10, Episode 2: “Shield”_

* * *

_**June 28th 2008. 4:44 AM UTC-6 (2:14 PM Local Time). Banawre, Kermanshah Province, Iran.** _

  
The man kept his breathing to a minimum as he held his rifle with trembling hands. Around him, the room was empty save the furniture left behind when the people once living there fled away at the announce of incoming enemy troops.

That was two weeks ago.

  
Now, looking through the hole in the wall with the rifle's scope, the soldier tried his best to spot the deadly snipers of the enemy while trying not to make his presence known among the sounds of bombings, war and overall, death. He was new at this job, inexperienced. The adversary's men were so accurate they managed to take down the best units of the Iranian's elite squad.

  
It had happened yesterday again.

  
Another sniper shot down and someone had been ordered to take the vacant place. That someone was him. Ahmad Tayana, third son in a family of poor transport workers barely holding up financially because of the international embargo set against their country. Refusing to be a burden to the rest of his family, Ahmad had joined the army shortly before the Iraqis decided to invade the country five months ago.

  
Now, scanning the area meticulously he couldn't help but think he was going to be the next one on the long list of dead Iranian soldiers. Barely twenty-one and he was going to die. God how alone and powerless was he feeling at the moment... His breath hitched when his scope caught sight of something. His eyes widened. Right there, on the top floor of a half destroyed house fifty yards ahead was an Iraqi sniper prone on the floor. He didn't seem to have spotted him. Maybe he had a chance...

  
Taking a deep breath, he focused his attention on his unsuspecting target. Being extra-cautious, he took his time to check if the man was alone, apparently it was the case. His finger felt the metal of the trigger, he began to press it slowly at first, his heart beating wildly in his chest until he did it all the way. His eyes closed as the rifle recoiled back into his shoulder, the deafening sound of the bullet being set to its course engulfing him. He shivered.

  
After an eternity, he dared to open his eyes. Fully expecting the sight of a dead body in front of him, he wasn't prepared to what he actually saw. Nothing. The man was gone and nowhere to be seen. How was that possible? Just a few second ago he'd shot him down and now... A blur of red caught his attention. He watched, confused as something crossed the room of the other house at a lightening speed.

  
Suddenly, the door behind him was kicked open and an ear-splitting scream pierced his ears. Ahmad didn't have the time to react, he was already out.

  
“Room's clear, Arrow” Dinah announced through her com.

  
“Alright, everybody regroup now.” The leader ordered.

  
Thirty seconds later, the Justice League was standing in the small room discussing their next plan of action. They came back to Iran ten days ago only to find the situation had escalated to the point a war broke out. The weird thing was that absolutely nobody in the international community knew that war was even taking place.

  
Ten days they came back, and not a single one had been spent out of the battlefields trying to save as much people as they could and gather information against the enemy. Unfortunatelythere was little they could do when it came to saving lives. Even a group of super-powered heroes could be outnumbered, outgunned against two powerful armies.

  
Bart zoomed through the room, dropping a body at their feet. “Boss, there's something weird going on there. We're supposed to be fighting Iraqis, right?” he asked rhetorically. Oliver nodded and Bart kept talking. “Then why is this guy not an Arab?” with his foot he rolled the unconscious soldier onto his back.

  
The face of a white caucasian man was revealed and AC knelt to examine him closer. “It's the first one we've seen around here since it all started. He may not look like onebut he could still be an Iraqi, right?”

  
“That's unlikely but it could happen.” Victor reasoned aloud.

  
“Nuh uh! No way! I've seen a bunch of other guys like him when I saved his sorry ass.” The youngest member of their team explained. “I can tell they were speaking English!”

  
Oliver's eyebrows raised in surprise. “You heard them speaking? Did you hear a name?”

  
Bart shook his head. “No such luck, Sorry Bossman.”

  
The other man pursed his lips before raising a hand to his ear. “You heard that, Tower? We may be fighting impostors.”

  
“ _I know, I suspected it.”_ came Chloe's voice through their  coms. She was seated back at the Isis foundation, helping them as much as she could. _“_ _I mean what are the odds that Iraq manages to_ _raise_ _a_ _n_ _army_ _in the shadows_ _while their country is invaded by the U.S.? And why would they_ _even_ _attack Iran wh_ _en_ _they could try to free themselves from_ _us? It doesn't make sense.”_

  
“Then the question is: Who are we _really_ fighting against?” The cyborg wondered.

  
“ _I can ID them but I need a name.”_

  
Oliver nodded. “We're working on that right now, Tower. Give us ten minutes.”

  
“ _Alright, good luck boys and girl. Watchtower out.”_

  
The five heroes looked down at the unconscious man on the ground for a moment before Oliver spoke up. “Bart get that one to safety.” he pointed to the Iranian sniper Dinah had knocked out. “We're going to ask a few question to our fake-Iraqi buddy, right here.”

  
“You got it, dude.” In a flash the young man was gone, carrying with him Ahmad.

  
“Cyborg, Aquaman, make sure no one else enters the building while Dinah and I grill the guy.”

  
The two men complied and left the room while Dinah and Oliver exchanged a look before glancing down at the soldier. “Do it.” Oliver said.

  
A second later, a slap drew the man out of his daze. Confused and disorientated, he squinted his eyes to adjust to the dimness of the room before The imposing figures of the Green Arrow and the Black Canary feel into sight.

  
“Oh what a pleasant surprise!” The man didn't even try to hide the fact that he spoke English.

  
“You are not an Iraqi.” the deep voice of the Green Arrow stated. “Who are you?”

  
The man looked up at the hero with a defiant smile but said nothing. Irritated, Dinah hit him again.

  
“You heard the man! Answer him.”

  
He just spit the blood Dinah's slap had drawn on the ground before chuckling, setting his eyes on her. “You wanna know my name, sweetheart?” he goaded her. “Why don't you untie me then, I'll bend you over and I'm gonna take my time fucking that sweet ass of yours until you scream my name then you'll know it!” He began to laughbut another hard slap from her and he groaned in pain.

  
“Shut up!”

  
The man grinned, proud of himself for managing to provoke her. “You like it rough, don't you? I can do that too, baby don't worry!” This time he earned himself a real punch in the face, rendering him dizzy for a moment.

  
“Canary!” The Green Arrow's warning tone filled the room and Dinah shot him a glare but stepped back anyway, letting him take the matter into his own hands.

  
His hand grabbed the soldier's throat forcefully and he began to squeeze while pushing his face closer to his, threateningly. “I know you're not part of a real army, you're a mercenary.” Arrow reasoned quietly. “What do you think the locals would do to a scum like you if we happened to drop you off in the middle of a very _very_ crowded street?” The threat was clear in his voice and it was a tone Oliver often used when he wanted to get information out of criminals. It had proved to be efficient in the past, only this time, the soldier didn't seem to be scared at all.

  
“These people are afraid of me, they wouldn't dare anything.” he grunted as Green Arrow's hand tightened again.

  
“You'd be surprised.” The hero spoke again, the timber of his voice one octave lower than before and for the first time since the beginning of his interrogation, the soldier began to doubt. “Now,” Oliver paused. “Who is your commander?”

  
The other man glared at him. “Go to hell, you piece of shit!”

  
Oliver cursed inwardly. That guy was well trained and it was clear he wasn't going to flinch. Pressing the interrogation further would be pointless. He sent the man's head back to hit the wall in frustration before standing up.

  
The man growled. “Fuck you!” Oliver ignored him and walked over to Dinah.

  
“It's useless he's not gonna talk.” Both of them were highly irritated by their failure to make him talk and Oliver knew it could get ugly if they let the man goad them again. “We're leaving him here, our mission's not over. Let's regroup with the rest of the g-”

  
Oliver's sentence was cut off when the wall at the other end of the room blew up, the deafening blast sending him and Dinah flying in different directions. He grunted when his back it another wall before slumping to the ground. Fortunately for him, he'd been the furthest one away from the explosion and he was able to get up without much difficulty other than his own confusion and the dull pain in his ears.

  
“Dinah!” Oliver called, trying to dissipate the thick smoke filling the space. “Dinah!”

  
At that moment his  coms sizzled. _“Arrow what's going on? The whole house has just shaken, is everybody alright?”_ came in Cyborg's worried voice.

  
“There was an explosion, I'm okay but I can't find Dinah.” Oliver explained.

  
“ _Want us to give you a hand?”_

  
At that moment his eyes fell on their friend who was trying to sit up, she appeared seemingly unharmed. “Negative, I just found her. Hold on.”

  
He approached her and put a hand on her shoulder causing her to look up at him bleakly. “You alright there?” he asked but she continued to stare at him with that same confused expression. He frowned. “Dinah, are you alright?” he shook her slightly.

  
She was silent for a moment. “WHAT?”

  
He looked at her strangely until it dawned on him that she may have been rendered deaf for a moment. He grinned at the irony of the situation and rose his hand to his ear once again. “Cyborg, this is Arrow. I've found Canary she's safe... and sound!”

  
“ _That's good to hear Arrow but I've got bad news. There's a column of tanks approaching our position from the west and these are not Iranian.”_

  
The blond hero cursed. “Okay, we'll clear the building through the east door at my signal. How much time do we have?”

  
There was a pause on the other end. _“Thirty seconds if we're lucky.”_

  
Oliver was about to answer when Dinah's mouth opened in shock and she pointed behind him. “Arrow, LOOK!”

  
He turned around and found himself out of breath at the sight of the soldier they'd been interrogating moments earlier, dismembered, with several wounds gushing blood on his right flank _ **.**_

  
“Damn it!” he rushed to his side and tried to stop the bleeding. He realized the bomb had been dropped very close to him. It was a miracle the man was still alive. Only his condition was dramatic considering the fact that his right leg was gone, probably teared off during the blast, one of his hands was only holding onto the rest of his arm thanks to a thin layer of skin, and the worst: a metal pole had skewed through his jaw.

  
He was alive, he was conscious and he wasn't yelling in agony. The loss of blood had probably made it numb enough for him not to feel his pain. In any way this man was already lost.

  
Dinah arrived at the scene too shaking her head, visibly trying to regain her hearing abilities. She glanced at her partner who made a negative movement with his head. She sighed and crouched at the man's level. He was watching her with wide eyes and she couldn't help but take pity on him.

  
“Look you're going to die soon.” she said bluntly. “You still can redeem yourself. Give us the name of your commander.” she pressed quietly.

  
The man seemed to hesitate for a moment before he moved his hand to a clean spot on the wooden floor. She watched, perplexed as he proceeded to tap the ground rhythmically.

  
EventuallyOliver understood what the man was doing. “He's communicating in Morse!” he realized. “Cyborg! CYBORG GET OVER HERE NOW!” he yelled.

  
Ten seconds later Victor showed up at the door, his eyes wide as he took in the damage in the room. “Holy shit!”

  
“He's trying to give us the name of his boss in Morse, you can decode it Vic!” Oliver's voice drew his attention on the injured solider down on the floor. His eyes focused on his hand making sound patterns.

  
“K....E...A...M....Y... That's it?” Victor asked the man. “Keamy? That's the name of your chief?”

  
He never got his answer as life leaved the other man's eyes. Victor sighed.

  
“Tower.” Oliver activated his  comm link. “Can you find information on a mercenary named 'Keamy'?”

  
“ _Sure I can.”_ came Chloe's voice that for some reason calmed Oliver despite their plight. The Tanks were only seconds away. _“Found him!”_

  
“Already?” Oliver's tone was filled with surprise.

  
Howevershe ignored him.  _“Martin Christopher Keamy,_ _born in_ _Nevada -definitely not an Iraqi-_ _he served in the US Marine Corps until 2001 before joining a mercenary_ _organization_ _and according to his file there he's no angel. Involved in war atrocities in Congo, Uganda, Sudan, Madagascar, you name it but I have absolutely no idea what he's doing here.”_

  
“At least we know who we're up against.” AC intervened.

  
“Dude I got a bad feeling about that guy!” Bart chimed in as he walked restlessly through the room.

  
“You may be right but we got more pressing matters right now like tanks preparing to gun this house down.” Oliver jumped back into his leader position. “Let's  evac now!”

  
Tension crept up their spines as the rolling thunder of the tanks' tracks grew louder and with them came the realization that their escape time might already be gone. Bart, being the fastest one, zoomed through the doors and made a quick sweep of the area around the house. When he came back, he announced grimly their place was surrounded not only by tanks but also by two cohorts of mercenaries.

  
Soon enough, the sound of statics coming from a megaphone filled the air.

  
“ _Alright people_ _these are my terms:_ _you got two minutes to get your asses out of th_ _is_ _house_ _by walking through the front door with your hands above your heads_ _or we will gun you down. Two minutes, not one more second.”_ The man's voice sounded naturally muffled and quiet yet, it was strangely authoritative and frightening.

  
Oliver exhaled slowly, taming the fear surging inside himself. He began to think about their ways of escape and came up empty. Angrily, he started to pace like a tiger incage, his mind going into overdrive. Minutes later, Oliver sighed and raised a hand to his ear. He was going to have to swallow his pride and ego for that one.

  
“Sidekick? We're in trouble.”

  
“ _What's going on?”_ she sounded concerned.

  
“We're trapped. Think you can get a hold of Clark and ask him if he could give us a hand?” He hated having to ask for helpbut he valued the lives of his friends more than his ego.

  
“ _Of courseI can, I'll call him. Don't worry he's gonna be there soon!”_ she answered, speaking a mile a minute.

  
AC chose that moment to cut in. “No need for Boy Scout boss. I got an idea.” All heads turned to him. “They want us, right? Then I'll give them what they want!”

  
“I'm not sure I'm going to like where this is going.” Dinah spoke as she examined what was happening outside through a tiny hole in the wall. The place in front of their house was huge and bare of any crevice, trees or fences that could cover anyone of them and certainly not AC.

  
“I'm going to make a distraction.” The man in question announced. “Give you time to go through the other exit.”

  
“So what are you gonna do? Walk out there and swim through the sand before they can shoot at you?” Bart humored him.

  
“I hate to break it to you Fish-stick but you're a pretty long way from the ocean or any lake for that matter. This is a dry country!” Victor added to the argument.

  
“Someone has to do it!” the Atlantean retorted.

  
“This is absolutely out of question, AC. Chloe's calling Clark right now, he'll help us out of here.” their leader rejected the idea firmly.

  
“God knows how long it'll take him to arrive, Oliver!” AC told him, exasperation clear in his voice. “We only have a few seconds left! What's it gonna be, Ollie?”

  
The Green Arrow took his shades off and looked at his friend with attention. He looked so determined and sure of his plan that it made Oliver ponder the possibilities of AC's way. Eventuallyhe gave in but, there was a condition.

  
“Alright AC you're up.” he sighed. “But it better work or I'm going to get your fishy ass back home myself and you're gonna get an earful.”

  
“Is that a threat Green Arrow?” AC joked, a small grin finding its way on his face.

  
Oliver smiled back sadly. “That's a promise, Aquaman.”

* * *

Barely thirty seconds later, the megaphone hissed again and the same man's voice hovered grimly over them. The atmosphere in the room had gone cold all of a sudden as they prepared to execute their new plan.

  
“ _Time's up. Don't be stubborn now, I wanna see the face of the Green Arrow and his friends out there right now.”_ There was a pregnant pause. Everyone felt the situation was on the brink of hell. _“_ _You made the wrong call, Green Arrow.”_ there was a hint of deception in the man's tone.

  
AC chose that exact moment to burst open the doors and walk outside, his hands behind his head. He was alone as he approached the center of the nude land that had now become a battlefield. He was walking straight ahead when he heard a full dozen of weapons being cocked, no doubt aiming at him. Looking up, five men fell into sight. They were standing on the roof of the building in front of him.

  
Among them, the tallest man in the center was holding a bullhorn in his hand. He couldn't quite make out his face because of the sunbut AC was sure he'd just met the infamous [Martin Keamy](http://fresclan.free.fr/PvFiles214/LiveJournal/pics/250px-Martin_Keamy.png).

  
“You can stop right here.” Keamy spoke without his device. It wasn't an advice. “Who are you?”

  
AC paused, somewhat surprised. “Who are you?” he shot back.

  
The soldier smirked slightly before handing the megaphone to his subordinate, all the while keeping his eyes on his soon-to-be prisoner. “My name is Martin Keamy and I'm here to get you and your friends in my custody. Now who the hell are you?”

  
“I'm surprised you don't know me since you want us in your 'custody' as you say.” AC replied arrogantly. “I'm Aquaman.”

  
Keamy didn't pick on his words, instead he cut to the chase. “Where are your friends?”

  
The hero was silent for several moment, trying to enrage his interlocutor. “My friends? I'm all alone here!”

  
The officer shook his head, displeased. He drew out his handgun and aimed at AC. “Don't lie to me Aquaman. There are five of you around here. Where are they?” He was always speaking with that quiet tonebut it held a dangerous edge in it that made the hair in the back of AC's neck rise.

  
He shifted his weight on his feet, wondering if he hadn't just done a mistake. “I don't know what you're talking about.” he shrugged.

  
Keamy pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side. “I'll kill you Aquaman.” he warned as he took a step forward.

  
AC extended his arms to the side, daring the mercenary to take his best shot. However, he hadn't expected the man to actually shoot, which he did, without one ounce of hesitation. The young hero felt the sandy ground hit his back first, then the pain went crashing down on him and he groaned. The warm sticky liquid was already soaking his shirt, the world around him spinning and his vision went blurry when he felt two arms pulling him up.

  
Soon after, he was being carried fireman style under a swarm of bullets until he got pushed through a hatch into the ground. The man went down with him, it was Bart.

  
The teenager inspected the injury on his chest. The bullet had hit pretty close to the heartbut Bart was sure Keamy hadn't missed. It was a warning shot. His brows furrowed in concerned and he laid a hand on his friend's shoulder.

  
“We're coming back for you dude.” he promised.

  
AC didn't have time to reply, Bart was already gone. He had sealed the hatch to protect him, leaving him alone in that underground hideout. Looking around him, his eyes widened when he realized what was inside.

* * *

The speedster ran back to the rest of his friends who had managed to sneak out of the house thanks to AC's distraction. They were now at a safe distance from the battlefieldbut they all heard the single shot and they all saw their friend fall down under their powerless eyes.

“I put him somewhere safe.” Bart stopped in front of them. He was out of breath. “I couldn't carry him all the way here, I'm not strong enough.” He hated himself for not being able to get him further away from Keamy and his men.

  
“Where is he now?” Oliver demanded, worry evident on his face.

  
“I... I found a hatch leading to an underground base. It was hidden under the sand in front of the house. I put him in there.” he explained as he tried to get his breath back. “I'm sorry.”

  
“Don't be sorry, you did what you could and I'm proud of you for that.” Oliver immediately reassured his protégé. He then turned towards Victor and Dinah. “I'm going to get him out of here but I need a distraction.”

  
“Okay but why don't you let Bart handle it?” Victor asked skeptically.

  
“I'm not putting him in anymore danger.”

  
“What danger?” Dinah exclaimed. “He can almost reach light speed! He'll be in and out before anyone can shoot at him.”

  
Oliver shook his head fiercely. “I can do it Dinah.”

  
“You can do it? You're only going to get yourself killed!” She argued. “Don't be stubborn about that, there's too much at stake!”

  
“I'm going to do this! End of the story.” Oliver rose his voice, his tone marking the end of the discussion. “And where the hell is Boy Scout?!” he fumed.

  
“ _He's not picking up, I'm sorry Arrow.”_ Chloe intervened, sounding genuinely apologetic.

  
MeanwhileDinah pursed her lips, obviously unhappy with the situation but she said nothing else. Instead, she glared at the tall blond before her and crossed her arms over her chest.

  
Victor wasn't much more enthusiast about the idea but complied anyway. “So how are you going to make that distraction?”

  
Before Oliver could answer, their earpieces sizzled. _“I have it covered.”_ Chloe spoke smugly. _“Look up in the sky you should be able to see it in ten seconds.”_

  
And she was right, ten seconds later, much to everyone's astonishment, an attack drone flew over the area and began to fire its rockets at the mercenaries who had no choice but to retreat.

  
“How did you do tha...” Oliver asked, his voice filled with amazement.

  
“ _We'll talk later, you have to get AC to safety now!”_ she retorted urgently.

  
They all nodded, understanding that they were running on borrowed time since Chloe's distraction had only bought them a short window of time that they couldn't waste arguing. AC was in danger.

  
Per Oliver's orders Dinah, Victor and Bart went their separate ways into the war zone, knocking out mercenaries to give their leader enough time to pull AC out of the hatch.

  
Arriving at the scene after having done his best to duck every bullet sent his way by the enemy, Oliver turned the wheel securing the hatch before opening it. The metal piece squeaked as it let the sun rays enter the underground room.

  
“AC!” the hero called, trying to pull his head inside to see his friend.

  
After a moment's silence, a voice answered him. “Ollie! Get down there! There's something you gotta see!” He sounded exhausted.

  
Oliver shook his head and extended his arm inside. “We don't have time, grab my hand!”

  
“You... you have to see this!”

  
Bullets began to fly close by, too close. Time was running out. “AC, grab my hand!” he urged.

  
“But...”

  
The billionaire began to lose his temper as more bullets came his way, one barely avoiding making contact with his arm. “Grab my _fucking_ hand or we're dead, AC! You hear me?”

  
The other hero felt his strength leaving him, his eyelids became heavy as he used his last strengths to grip Oliver's hand and did his best to help his friend pull him out. Now out of the hatch, he squinted his eyes as Oliver filled his sight.

  
He vaguely thought he heard him ask if he was okay as he rose a hand to his shoulder and groaned in pain. “Ollie...” he heaved violently. “Lex!”

  
That was his last word as everything went black.

* * *

_**July 1st 2008. 11:01 PM UTC-6 (07:01 AM Local Time). Tepke, Al-Hasakah District, Syria.** _

  
The first thing AC felt when he came to was the relative quietness in the air, so different from the constant bombings and firearms shots that had turned Iran into hell on earth. When his eyes opened, the blur took a few moments to dissipate and when it did, he realized he was under a tent. Looking around him, AC took in the medical equipment, the IV hooked into his arm and the military bed under him. It wasn't just any tent, it was a field hospital.

  
“Finally awake as I see. Hope you make more sense than last time.”

  
AC grinned at the sound of Victor's teasing voice, he looked left to find the other man standing at his side. He raised a hand which the cyborg took in a gesture that spoke of friendship and mutual respect.

  
“Last time?” his voice was still weak and raspy and AC had to wonder how long he'd been unconscious.

  
“Yeah you first woke up about an hour ago but you kept asking for 'the seagull to stop poking at your favorite dolphin's back' guess you were still under the effects of the anesthesia.” Victor explained, clearly amused.

  
“Man! I don't wanna hear anything about it in the future, this was out of my control!” AC complained making the other man laugh.

  
Victor looked at him innocently. “What kind of friend do you think I am?” When the injured blond glared at him, he rose his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Alright, I promise it's not going to pop up in the near future.” All the while he pronounced this words, the cyborg kept his fingers crossed behind his back.

  
Both men went silent for a moment. “How long was I out?” AC asked quietly.

  
“Four days.” Victor replied. “You were in pretty bad shape when you came in here.”

  
“And here is...?”

  
“We're in Syria.”

  
“What? Last time I checked we were in Iran, playing war with.... Oh shit!” AC cursed when his memories came back to him. “Vic I need to see everyone now!”

  
The other man sensed the urgency in his words and didn't question him as he left the tent to look for the rest of his friends. Five minutes later, Oliver, Bart and Dinah had joined him at AC's side, following them, a man the hero didn't know entered the room.

  
“Hello Mr. Curry it's nice to see you finally awake.” the man spoke, a light Arabic accent to his otherwise flawless English. “Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Sargon Al-Hinnawi and I am one of the surgeons who operated on you.”

  
“Oh, I guess I owe you my life, Doc.” AC bowed his head at the man.

  
The surgeon smiled slightly before giving a quick glance to Oliver who pursed his lips. “I was just doing my job, Mr. Curry.” Sargon replied. “Now let's talk about your injury and before you ask, yes I know about your abilities.”

  
At that, AC's eyes widened, he turned towards his friends. “He knows?”

  
Oliver sighed. “Long story short, Watchtower told him.”

  
“Oh come on, Ollie you know why she did it!” Bart glared at the taller man. “She saved AC's life!”

  
“I know, that's not the problem.”

  
It was Dinah's turn to jump in at Chloe's defense. “Then what is it? It is because you're going to have to pay him?” she motioned towards the Syrian surgeon.

  
“No, no! Ah forget it!” the billionaire stormed out of the room, leaving bemused friends in his trail.

  
“Wow he seems pretty pissed at Tower.” AC remarked, puzzled.

  
“He's been that way ever since we arrived here to find she'd organized an entire hospital for you there.” Victor explained.

  
They looked at Oliver's retreating back for a moment before AC turned towards the stranger in the tent who looked equally confused. “Could you give us a minute, please?” he asked politely.

  
The man nodded. “Of course, just don't try to get up yet.” he warned.

  
“You got it, Doc!” AC smirked and watched him leave. Once he was out of earshot, the blond man turned back to his teammates, his expression now entirely serious. “Guys we have a problem.”

  
“What's up?” Bart frowned.

  
“Lex is the one who hired Martin Keamy.”

* * *

_**July 4 th 2008\. 5:55 PM UTC-6. The Talon, Smallville, Kansas, USA.** _

  
Oliver took a deep breath when he arrived at Chloe's door before knocking. His shoulders were stiff and he did his best to try to relax when he heard her approaching footsteps. The door opened and she poked her head out, her eyes widening when she saw him.

  
“Oh, hey! I wasn't expecting you so early!” she smiled at him.

  
He couldn't help but smile back as she let him enter her apartment. “Ah Sidekick I could tell you were missing me so I just decided to put you out of your misery, simple as that!”

  
Chloe watched him. His tone was playfulbut there was something not quite right about him. She ignored that as it wasn't time to dwell on him, she had to be ready so they could leave. The team came back yesterday from Syria and AC seemed to be recovering well. They had decided to have a little get together at the Kent farm with Clark, Lois and Martha to celebrate the independence day but also and mostly, the team's return home even though Lois didn't know that and Chloe knew that Martha was suspecting something.

  
They were supposed to leave in half an hour and she hadn't expected Oliver to show up so early. “How heroic of you to want to save the damsel in distress in every way, don't you think your hero complex went a little too far there?” she teased him. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

  
Oliver grinned and shook his head. “No, thank you.” he answered softly. When Chloe smiled and turned back to get herself ready, the grin left his lips and he hesitated for a moment before he spoke again. “Actually... there's another reason I came here so early.”

  
Chloe paused and turned around, surprised to see him standing so close to her. When she titled her head up to look into his eyes, she saw a mix of hurt and anger along with concern. She swallowed nervously.

  
“You know on the flight back, I've been thinking about how good you've become at being Watchtower.” he began to explain quietly. “I mean out of the people I know you're one of the smartest and you're the best at working with computers, Cyborg excluded.” he added hastily. “But, lately well it seems that you're getting even better at that, perhaps... a little too good.”

  
Chloe's posture stiffened. “I've always been good with computers.” she was getting defensive despite herself.

  
“I know.” he hadn't realized he had put his hands on her waist yet, and neither did she apparently. “But honestly Chloe, You came up with Keamy's profile in a maximum of three seconds. Then, you manage to hack into the U.S. Army's system to take control of a drone and if that wasn't enough, you have a team of five of the best surgeons in Syria set up a tent hospital in the middle of the desert, you told them all they needed to know about AC and managed to keep them quiet. All of that in less than six hours! Six hours, Chloe!”

  
This time his hands had risen to her shoulders and he was shaking her gently. “Even for the most powerful man on the planet that's impossible! So I'm beginning to wonder if you're not developing another super-power you forgot to mention. You told me you lost your healing power, right? What are the odds for someone to develop two different powers? You tell me Chloe?!” He was beginning to lose his temper. “Why didn't you tell me?”

  
What surprised her was the concern his voice was filled with when he spoke these last words. She struggled against him. “Let me go Oliver.”

  
“Why didn't you tell me, Chloe?”

  
“Let me go, Oliver, There's nothing to talk about! Now get your hands off me!” she yelled. When he didn't move she pushed at his chest vainly. “Am I asking you about your visceral need to save everyone in the team yourself, Oliver?!”

  
Stunned, he let her go and she immediately regretted her words. The truth was that she had no idea why he felt so compelled to save everyone -especially, the team- when there was a problem. He was a hero at heart, she knew that but there was also something else. Looking at him now, jaw locked and back turned to her as he walked towards the window, she presumed it was something bad.

  
Slowly, she approached him. He didn't move as she gently put a hand on his arm. “I'm sorry.” she whispered. The only sign of acknowledgment she had was the way he visibly swallowed his emotions back before he moved away from her.

  
“It's time to go.” Oliver announced blankly and she sighed. The ride to the Kent farm promised to be tense. So much for what was supposed to be a day spent in celebration and joy, she thought.

* * *

_**July 5 th 2008\. 11:46 PM UTC-6. Cadmus Labs, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

  
The glass doors of Cadmus Labs opened quietly as two men entered the building. The first one, dressed in a common black suit, took the keys out of his pockets and locked behind them.

  
“This way.” he proceeded to lead his companion to an elevator and entered in it once the cage arrived. The second man had to lower himself to allow his impressively tall frame to enter the lift meanwhile the guard pressed his card to the panel on the side, setting the machine on its course to the hidden underground level.

  
The ride was short and the doors opened seconds later, letting both men into Lex Luthor's hideout. They walked down a corridor leading to a featureless, dark room. There, the first man turned towards the visitor.

  
“Wait, right here. He'll come to you.”

  
The man nodded and waited silently, not once moving an inch. His developed figure standing calmly as a very weakened looking Lex Luthor approached him in a wheelchair being pushed by his guard. “I heard what happened in Middle East, Mr. Keamy.” came the billionaire's breathy voice.

  
“I figured you would.” Martin Keamy replied evenly. He took a second to watch the bald man up and down. He seemed to have suffered, that much was clear. The burn marks on his face and his hand were evident and the fact that he needed an oxygen mask to breathe indicated that his lungs had been hurt in whatever rendered him that way.

  
“Then why are you here?”

  
“I thought you would have wanted to discuss what happened in Iran, sir.” Keamy continued.

  
“Wanted?” anger began to seep into Lex's voice. “What I want is for you to capture the Justice League, if you don't manage to do that your life is going to end prematurely!”

  
The mercenary raised a challenging eyebrow. “Careful Mr. Luthor or I would think you are threatening me.” The man's voice abhorred that cold and quiet tone, making him an enemy to be feared. “I am not your usual henchman, don't forget that.”

  
Lex didn't look pleased. “I assigned you a task, Keamy. I expected it to be fulfilled.”

  
“I am a man of my word, Mr. Luthor. I will capture them.”

  
The other man narrowed his eyes at him. “You failed in Iran, you expect me to believe you will capture them on their territory?”

  
“There are times in life where things don't always play out as planned. I may fail at the first trybut I always get another shot and I never miss it.” Keamy told his employer, sounding very confident. “They were just lucky.”

  
“You are the lucky one, Keamy. Your reputation has just saved you.” Lex took a deep breath into his mask before continuing. “When I give you a job I want it done and accomplished on the first try, do you hear me? There are no second chances.”

  
The mercenary smirked. “I might have captured them successfully had you given me something more than just codenames. I want to know their identities.”

  
Lex snorted and nodded at his guard, silently ordering him to move his wheelchair. “The less you know, the better.” he ended the conversation as he was being led away.

  
Keamy looked at his retreating form for a moment. “You know... you can't control everything, Luthor.”

  
The billionaire raised a hand, motioning the guard leading him away to stop. He looked back over his shoulder at the mercenary. “Don't tell me what I can't do.”

* * *


	6. Turnabout

_'You know, Oliver, for a guy with three cellphones, you sure are hard to get a hold of.' - Chloe Sullivan, Season 8, Episode 8: “Bloodline”_

* * *

_**October 31 st 2008\. 02:37 PM UTC-6. Queen Tower, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Oliver blinked a few times to clear the tiredness from his eyes. Staring at a computer screen for too long would do that to him. He sighed and looked back at the digital report of Queen Industries' last meeting of the Board of Directors.

  
The old men didn't seem very happy with his recent absences and he didn't need to stare at his computer to know that. Every time he met them there would always be a defiant and suspicious glint in their eyes, most of them didn't trust him.

It irritated himbut Oliver knew he couldn't blame them for his lack of involvement in his company lately. From their perspective Oliver Queen was just a shallow playboy who left everything to go have his next adrenaline shot in Turkey a few months before.

  
That was his official cover for the activities Green Arrow had been doing in Iran for almost an entire month last summer. It wasn't exactly like he could tell them the truth.

  
 _Suck it up and make it up to them, Queen._ He would tell himself when needed. After all, he chose this life, and he could deal with the consequences.

  
Howeverhis mood turn another dark sour when he skimmed through his next emails. It was his secretary informing him of the company's market activity. Apparently Luthorcorp recently started an aggressive economical policy, buying out almost a third of Queen Industries competition. Actually, it was odd.

  
Oliver knew Lex had always been interested in the sector of new technologies – Queen Industries' prime activity – but Luthorcorp had always been behind in this sector, Oliver's company taking the lead barely a couple of years after he took the reigns. That had seemed to be enough for Lex who made his money in many other activities -some of which, illegal and unknown to public- so what was going on lately with the Luthor's firm?

  
Looking at the end of the contract, Oliver's jaw tightened as he noticed the name under the signature. Tess Mercer. Of course, he should have known the woman would try everything to get back at him and that included his company.

  
Oliver huffed. It actually had nothing to do with Lex, it was between him and Tess and she wanted to take him down no matter the cost apparently. Gone was the kind and attentive marine biologist Oliver had met years ago, here she was replaced by a cold and calculating business woman. Another thing Lex Luthor had managed to ruin.

  
Nevertheless, he knew deep down in his heart that Lex wasn't the only one to blame. Oliver closed his eyes shamefully.

  
The sound of the interphone beeping drew him out of his thoughts. Mechanically, his hand pressed the button and soon, his assistant's voice could be heard. “Oliver? Sorry to bother you but I just received a last minute invite to a gala requesting your attendance.” the woman said uncertainly.

  
He arched in eyebrows. “Thank you Nancy but why didn't you deal with it like the other ones?” he asked, puzzled.

  
“I know, I'm sorry but there is something strange with this one.” she replied apologetically. “It is a certain Regan Matthews asking for your presence along with five other persons.”

  
She was right, it was strange. “Five other persons?”

  
“There are a total of 234 people invited but Mr. Matthews is asking you to bring with you a certain Clark Kent, Arthur Curry, Victor Stone, Dinah Lance and a Bart Allen. Do you know these people or shall I consider it a prank?”

  
Oliver was too shocked to talk. When his mind could actually wrap itself around the fact that Lex's right hand sent a subliminal message alerting him of the entire Justice League's identities being compromised, only two words made it out of his mouth. “Come again?” he deadpanned.

  
However, Nancy didn't have time to answer that he already was crossing his office's double doors and made a stop by her desk. She stared up at him surprised before handing him the invite. It wasn't a joke, his friend's names were written along with his own. Only Watchtower remained safe.

  
 _For now at least._ His mind supplied and a weird feeling of fear invaded him for a moment.

  
His secretary was now standing up with a worried expression on her face. “Oliver, is there a problem?” she asked curiously.

  
He blinked, Nancy's voice bringing him back to the real world. He swallowed hard and slipped the paper into his pocket. “There might be.” he conceded mysteriously before putting on his usual poker face. “Listen Nancy, I'm gonna have to leave sooner than I expected, could you postpone my meeting with Miss Ferris? You're free to leave after that.”

  
The middle-aged woman nodded. “Okay.”

  
Oliver smiled. “Thank you.” He then began to walk towards the elevator without looking like he was running for it. He had to see Chloe Sullivan.

* * *

_**October 31 st 2008\. 02:40 PM UTC-6. Daily Planet, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

  
“Hey cuz!”

  
Chloe smiled widely as Lois Lane hugged her. “Hey Lo.” she greeted back. “I got your message, it sounded urgent.”

  
“Course it was urgent,” Lois clasped her hand and began to lead her -or more appropriately, drag her- across the Planet's bullpen until they reached the storage room. Once inside, she proceeded to close the door behind them and slip the blinders shut.

  
Chloe watched suspiciously her cousin's doing. “Okay,” she began slowly. “So you didn't tell me I was in for a hide and seek game in the Daily Planet's basement when you texted me.” she joked. “What's going on?”

  
Lois arched her eyebrows. “What?” she said innocently. “Can't I just miss my cousin from time to time? It feels like I haven't seen you in months!” she stretched out her arms wide for emphasis.

  
“You just saw me this morning!” Chloe protested.

  
“You mean I just saw you sleeping this morning, right? You realize you came home at four o' clock in the morning last night just like any other night for the past three months! And where were you anyway? Nevermind!” Lois went on, not giving her time to answer. “I know were you where! Working at Isis, right?”

  
Chloe gaped at her cousin for a moment. “Okay let me rectify myself, this isn't hide and seek, this is an interrogation the Lane version.”

  
“Damn right Missy!” Lois agreed lively. “And let me guess, you spent last night working hard on something highly confidential considering every time I ask you about it you just lock down.” She taped a finger on her chin, trying to look thoughtful. “And tell me if I'm right, there was an extremely handsome and... attentive billionaire playboy in the same room as you giving you assistance on everything you need. How about that?” she challenged with an amused smirk.

  
The blonde just shook her head. “Lois how many times do I have to tell you,” she groaned. “Oliver and I are just friends. I'm just helping him on a case for his tight-wearing alter-ego.”

  
There was no need to hide anything from her, Lois had already figured out she was working for Oliver's team months ago. When it came to Oliver's secrets, Lois had more insight about them than ever before since she discovered the playboy and the vigilante were one in the same. Too bad she didn't seem to be able to focus her sharpness on Clark's true identity.

  
Chloe snickered mentally as she thought about the amount of times she'd seen Lois play with Clark's head already. She thought she had him figured it out as a simple farmboy turned reporterbut Chloe knew there might actually be a part of the alien's charm clouding her cousin's mind.

  
“Chloe,” Lois's voice cut through her mind rant. “Let me put it this way, when you spend almost entire days at Isis, 'working' with a guy and all you talk about is that guy, when your eyes light up and a smile grows on your face every time that guy's name is mentioned, you can't be just friends with that guy.” Lois crossed her arms over her chest, her tone clearly exasperated.

  
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Nothing is going on between me and Oliver, Lois! It never will!” she stressed.

  
Her cousin didn't seem to get it. Sure, she and Oliver had grown closer over the past months because they had to spend a lot of time together trying to locate Lex and Keamy while the rest of the League was off to a well deserved vacation. Seeing each other everyday reinforced their friendships to the point Chloe could positively call Oliver one of her best friends. It was almost surreal how quickly things had changed between thembut she wasn't about to complain, she was glad actually.

  
Between Lois and Clark, she could only say so much. She loved them both and considered them familybut she didn't have with them the connection she had with Oliver. It was like they could understand what the other was thinking without even talking. It was amazing the number of things they had in common. Their desire for justice, the fact that they were both simple humans surrounded by super-beings, but also on a more personal level, they could talk for hours on end one time and spend hours in silence around the other without ever being uncomfortable.

  
Being raised by a single dad while her mother was gone, Chloe understood Oliver's pain about his parents, and his desire for a family while he got her on her fears of being forgotten, useless and not mattering to anyone. That was just the beginningbut it was already enough for her to realize how much she valued her friendship with Oliver.

  
So, sure she was talking a lot about him, she spent hours with him! That didn't mean they were attracted or had any romantic feelings for the other... right?

  
“Chloe!” Lois snapped her fingers in front of her face. “Oh you're back, I thought I lost you for a moment there.” she exclaimed with a satisfied smirk on her face. That was all she needed to know.

  
“Sorry, I think I just zoned out for a moment.” Chloe smiled sheepishly.

  
“Good thing I'm your cousin, you'd live in your own head if I let you to.” the brunette quipped before linking arms with the other woman. “Now that that's out of the way, let's talk business.”

  
She walked Chloe over to the computer at the other end of the room. “Business?” Chloe asked, her interest was piqued.

  
“Yep, and scary business that is.” Lois grimaced. She woke up the computer and pulled up a window. “Clark and I got assigned on a case of two uncommon deaths a few hours ago. At first we thought it was going to be the usual deal but... it seems like it's more serious than that.”

  
There was one word that instantly caught Chloe's ears. “Uncommon? What do you mean by that?”

  
Lois made a face and looked back towards the computer. Seconds later a picture appeared in fullscreen.

  
Chloe gasped loudly and turned around immediately. “Jesus Christ!” she nearly shouted.

  
“Sorry, I wish I had softer pics to show you first but, the truth is, this one is the softest.” Lois herself could barely bring herself to look at the screen. “She turned her head in her cousin's direction. “You okay, Chlo? You look pale all of a sudden.”

  
She chuckled humorlessly. “Yeah gruesome pictures of body parts half devoured would do that to me.” she replied dryly. After taking a long breath she could finally turn around and try to look at the picture with a professional eye. “This is sick.”

  
“Worse than sick.” Lois agreed. “You want to know the scariest? This isn't an animal's doing.”

  
“What? Lois you can't tell me a normal human being would, or even could do that!”

  
Lois closed the picture and sat on the table to look at her cousin. “At first we thought it was a bear, a wolf or even some mad dog but the footprints taken from the crime scene do not match with any race of animal. It isn't even some dead specie coming back and no, it's not human. At least, it's not a normal human being if you get me?”

  
Chloe's eyes widened. “Then it's either a meta or...” an alien. She swallowed thickly. “How is the police reacting?”

  
Lois shrugged. “They don't know what to make of it. Officially this hasn't gone viral yet but when the news that two bodies were found that way in the middle of Suicide Slums goes widespread, they're gonna have a problem.”

  
Chloe nodded but looked already deep in thought. It was highly unlikely a meta-human would be capable of doing so much damage so that left kryptonite out ofquestion. It had to be an alien.

  
“Chloe?”

  
Her head jerked up at the sound of her name. She looked up at Lois who licked her lips worriedly.

  
“You're the only person I know who can crack this case.” she stated. Only someone extremely intelligent, resourceful and experimented on the matter of the weird and unexplained could unmask this thing. Chloe fit in the three categories.

  
“I will catch the killer, Lois be sure of that.” Chloe assured.

  
The other woman nodded. “Good.” she then walked closer to her. “But do me a favor, okay? Don't get yourself in trouble against that... whatever the hell this is. I don't want anything happening to you.”

  
Chloe's face softened. “Same goes for you.” she shot back before wrapping her arms around her.

  
The two women shared a comforting hug for long moments until the smaller of the two broke the silence. “Hey, Lois?” Chloe whispered.

  
“Yeah?”

  
“You'll have full exclusivity on that of course.”

  
Lois grinned. “You're awesome cuz!”

  
Chloe stepped back a little and flashed her cousin a cocky smirk. “I know.”

  
“Oh you!” Lois chuckled. “You spend too much time with the spoiled brat!”

  
The sound of both women's laughter filled the bullpen.

* * *

Chloe had just gotten out of the Daily Planet's tower when the sight of a coffee vendor nearby stirred her addiction for the black beverage to life. Unable to deny her urge for a cup of the precious liquid, she made a beeline for the vendor.

A couple minutes later she was happily walking down the street, her coffee in hand. Taking a sip as she strode over the crosswalk only too late noticing the car running at full speed in her direction. The strong sound of the muscled engine caught her attention, her eyes fell on the large car approaching her.

  
She screamed, the tires screeched and a loud bang echoed through the entire street.

  
“Call 911!” someone yelled.

* * *

_**October 31 st 2008\. 03:14 PM UTC-6. Cadmus Labs, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

  
Cadmus Labs' underground level was unusually noisy as several people dressed in sterile pale green suits began to set up a high-end surgery room. A group of nine people, surgeons, nurses and medical aid, busy taking out all their equipments on the table under the watchful eyes of a dozen armed men.

  
Dr. Edward Groll came in, stress and apprehension clearly written all over his face no matter how hard he tried to hide it. “Everything set?” he asked, sounding more confident than he felt.

  
The main surgeon under his command didn't look like he was doing much better as he replied. “We're ready to welcome Mr. Luthor.”

  
Dr. Groll nodded and looked over to the guards. “Whenever he wants.”

  
One of the suits nodded and walked out of the room. Upon the man's departure, the room grew silent and tense. The guards remained stoic and cold as if indifferent to the medical team's fear. All of them had very recently been kidnapped and brought here for one purpose only: To perform surgery on Lex Luthor.

  
The greatest achievement in their lives, they'd been told. None of them except Edward Groll had met the man yetbut they knew about him. He should be dead, was actually considered dead by the public. Still, he was going to be there in a minute and they were his only hope to remain alive according to the scientist.

  
Their task was a complicated one. The operation was going to be split in two stages. The first one needed to fix Luthor's greatly damaged body. That alone needed experimental surgery on his spine and lungs involving alien technology. Then, a face reconstruction was going to take place, replace his dead eye and rebuild the left side of his face.

  
Simply put, it was the heaviest operation they were about to perform in their lives. Chances of success were thin but good enough for Luthor to accept to put his life in their hands. Though, that wasn't the only thing he was going to have undergo.

  
Stage two was probably the riskiest. It involved putting his recently repaired body in a tank of clinic oil, set him on fire to burn his skin, inject nanites under the epidermis and extract him alive. All this with no anesthesia.

  
The two stages were part of a project which origin remained unknown to anyone but Lex himself and Dr. Groll. That project had a name: Prometheus.

  
The double doors banged open making them jump in surprise as they saw several bodyguards moving a hospital bed in their direction. In it lay Lex Luthor.

  
Once inside the surgery room, the staff stood frozen at the man's sight. The only one daring to approach the billionaire was Dr. Groll.

  
“Mr. Luthor? How are you feeling?” the physicist asked cautiously. “It is still time to back down.”

  
Loud, slow breathing sounds filled the space before Lex removed his mask with his unharmed hand, staring the other man straight in the eye.

  
“I.... _never_ back down.” were the only words he spoke.

  
The confidence in his tone surprised everyone and Dr. Groll realized Lex knew what he was doing, he also knew he would not forgive any failure. With this in mind, he turned to the lead surgeon and nodded. “He's ready.”

  
The other man swallowed nervously and began to tentatively give instructions to his team. The anesthetist injected his product with shaking hands. Seconds later, Lex Luthor fell into oblivion and Dr. Groll grasped his hands together in apprehension.

  
“You know what to do.” he ordered quietly.

  
Of coursethey knew what to do. It was probably the only thing they were sure of at the moment because even if they managed to fix Lex Luthor, the question was: What then?

* * *

_**October 31 st 2008\. 03:15 PM UTC-6. Pearl Autumn Street, New Troy Borough, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

  
The car's driver looked up from under his dashboard to see a young woman screaming at him. Immediately reacting, he slammed on the brakes, breaking the car's speed so quickly he lost control of it.

  
Fortunately, he managed to drive his car away from the woman and instead went to hit a parked van. The impact, so strong, flipped the Dodge Challenger on its roof and remained that way as it slipped further into the way, finishing its course in the middle of the street.

  
It was as if time was suspended for a moment. No one moved, nothing but the distant sounds of traffic could be heard. As if the scene was in a completely different universe. Nobody could tell afterwards how long that moment lasted but when it was finally over, the first person to react was a man who'd been walking nearby and saw the scene.

  
He quickly ran over to the young woman on the ground and began to shake her gently. “Call 911!” he shouted to the rest of the public who'd accumulated around them and the car. “Miss? Miss are you okay?”

  
Chloe groaned, a hand raising to hold her head. Her memory was a little fuzzy at first but after a few seconds, pictures of a car running her way right before sharply turning away, barely avoiding colliding with her flew before her eyes. She'd fallen on the ground, her head hitting the hard asphalt thus rendering her dizzy.

  
“I'm alright.” she croaked. She tried to stand up but apparently she did it too fast as she would have fallen if it wasn't for the man catching her and helping her walk and sit on the closest bench. Her eyes fell on the car and she immediately turned to the man helping her. “Is the driver alright?” she asked in concern.

  
“I have no idea,” the middle-aged civilian replied. “The view's obstructed and it seems he or she is still caught inside the car and not responding. Help is on the way.”

  
Chloe nodded, a sinking feeling already making itself know in her stomach. What if this person died because of her?

  
However, she didn't have time to torture herself any further. A soft vibration in her pocket drew her attention to her phone. Grabbing it, she took notice of a text message sent by Oliver.

  
_'Where are you? I'm at Isis right now.'_

  
She sighed and felt guilty for leaving her job during the afternoon, Oliver may need her help on something important.

  
_'There was an accident, I'm okay. Pearly Autumn Street in New Troy.'_

  
She texted back, making sure he wouldn't worry about her, he already had enough on his plate without her adding to it.

  
Things however took a surprising turn as not even a second later, the sound of glass breaking followed by a common gasp could be heard. Chloe looked up, stunned to see the car's driver, a man in his late twenties, wriggling out of the vehicle before standing up and looking around in confusion.

  
He didn't even have one little scratch on himself. The man looked appropriately guiltybut Chloe couldn't help feeling angry at him, apparently she wasn't the only one.

  
“Are you out of your mind?!” a voice in the crowd yelled at the driver. “You could have killed that young lady because of your reckless driving!”

  
The man flinched and looked straight at Chloe. He pressed a hand to his forehead for a second and she heard him curse, “Shit!” before he quickly walked in her direction all the while profusely apologizing. “I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention, there was my phone and... oh god, I'm so stupid!”

  
Chloe stood up and the man at her side looked at the driver warily but said nothing while she glared at the offender. “Next time don't answer your phone and you could save at least your car.” That Dodge must have cost a lot.

  
He blinked. “You realize I could have run you over, right?” he asked in disbelief. “I don't care about the car, I'm just glad you're alright and that nobody was truly hurt.” he noticed the scratch on her cheek and winced a little. “How can I make it up to you?”

  
Chloe frowned and was silent for a moment. He probably expected her to ask him for some money as a sort of reparation or paybackbut she would never do that. “Well you made me spill my coffee after all.”

  
Despite the situation, he chuckled. “You want me to pay you another cup of coffee?”

  
The humor in his tone didn't throw her. “Is that going to be a problem?” she asked sweetly to mock him. “I could ask you to give up your driving license if you wish.”

  
Her interlocutor made a face. “Yeah... that wouldn't be a bad thing actually.” he began, uncomfortable. “This.. kind of, isn't the first time it happens.”

  
Chloe frowned deeper this time. “Forget it, I definitely want you to give up your driving license.” she shot back. “Hand it over to me so I'll be sure you won't hurt anyone else. I'll give it to the police myself.”

  
He smiled at her bossy side. _That woman is something,_ he thought. “Whatever you want Miss, I'm in your debt anyway.”

  
Seconds later, the small card was in her hand. “Hal Jordan?” she read. “Well I'm Chloe and it's nice to be able to stop a public danger just by talking him out of it.”

  
He laughed and was about to offer her to pay for her coffee when the sound of sirens echoed though the street. An ambulance approached followed by a police car.

  
“I'm glad you're alright, Chloe.” Hal said. “I'll catch you later.” with that, he willingly walked over to the two police officers inspected his car. “I'm responsible.”

  
Chloe watched as Hal explained what happened until her attention was caught by one of the paramedics who got out of the car and walked around for any injured people. He finally spotted her and the moment their eyes met an intense pain made her gasp, her vision turned black for a second, that pain was unbearable.

  
“Miss, you okay?” The paramedic's voice suddenly made it all go away and when she opened her eyes he was at his side. A strange feeling of safety and contentedness washed over her. “Yes.” she replied breathlessly.

  
The man's badge indicated his name: Davis Bloome.

* * *

Oliver's car arrived to an abrupt halt before the barrier preventing anyone from driving through the wrecked street. His heart was beating fast as he walked out of his expensive car, and began to run towards the crowd, he had to find Chloe. _Please let her be alright,_ he begged to no-one in particular.

  
She couldn't be so badly hurt if she had managed to write him a text, right? That was the logical answer but strangely, his mind was having a hard time to focus. A wave of fear he'd never experienced before had washed over him when he'd read her message and he knew he would only be able to calm down if he made sure she was alright with his own eyes.

  
“Sir,” a police officer interrupted him by stepping in his way. “You can't leave your vehicle in the middle of the street.”

  
Oliver stopped, a sudden anger taking control over him. “Look, I just need to find someone.” he explained dismissively before stepping around the woman.

  
“Sir, I'm not gonna repeat it again, you have to move your car out of the way.” she insisted, a hand on his chest to prevent him from going any further.

  
“Don't you know who I am? I'm Oliver Queen!” he replied heatedly.

  
“I know who you are sir but your name doesn't change anything.” the police woman said firmly. “Move your car.” It was a definite order.

  
Oliver recognized her tone and sighed deeply, rubbing a hand over his face. “I'm sorry,” he genuinely was. “Look I'm just looking for a friend of mine, she said she was involved in the accident. You might have seen her.” he explained. “A short blonde, pretty, green eyes, always carrying a cup of coffee with her?”

  
At that a glint of recognition dawned on the woman's face. “Oh the young woman who was on the crosswalk? She's alright don't worry, last I saw her she was being patched up by the medical team, nothing too serious.”

  
Oliver let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. “Thank you, thank you so much!” the relief he felt was so powerful he would have hugged the woman in gratitude if he didn't feel so compelled to find his Watchtower.

  
The cop laughed a bit at his expression. “Now about that car?” she reminded him.

  
Oliver looked behind at his expensive four wheeled machine before turning back towards her, a smirk on his face. “Ever drive an Aston Martin?”

  
A brief look of shock followed by temptation crossed her face. “I shouldn't.” she reasoned.

  
“Come on it's a win-win situation, you park my car and enjoy the ride while I find my friend.” he answered smartly.

  
The deputy hesitated for a few seconds. “Okay.” she accepted.

  
Oliver grinned and handed her his keys. “You're gonna love it!”

  
As soon as she grabbed the keys, Oliver was back on the matter of finding Chloe. He wasn't as apprehensive as he'd been moments beforebut he still needed to see her, just for the sake of it.

  
People were all over the place despite the fruitless attempts of the police at trying to clear the area in order to remove the large Dodge Challenger obstructing the way. Oliver glanced at it, realizing it was on its roof and badly damaged he came to the conclusion that the accident must have been pretty rough... and Chloe could have been hurt, really hurt... maybe even worse.

  
His blood boiled. If he ever found the culprit he was going to make him pay dearly. Oliver's murderous thoughts were interrupted as the sound of a woman's laugh filled his ears. And it wasn't any woman's laugh, it was...

  
“Chloe!” he whispered. Oliver's body turned around sharply until his eyes found her.

  
She was sat on a bench, the brightest of smiles illuminating her face as her green eyes shone with laughter. The joyous sound falling freely from her throat making him pause for a moment and he didn't realize he was staring at her until the moment he spotted another man crouching in front of her, a medical bag laying beside him.

  
In any other situation, Oliver wouldn't have thought about it twice but there was something about that man he didn't like. Oliver couldn't see his facebut he clearly saw the way he tried to get closer to Chloe, to touch her face pretending to tend the scratch on her cheek or how his hand nearly brushed her knee. Oh no, he didn't like _that_ man at all.

  
The worst of all was that Chloe didn't seem to mind, in fact she looked like she was having a good time. For some reason it didn't sit well with Oliver and it spurred him into action. There was no way in hell she was going to spend one more second in that man's company, a possessive part of him he didn't know he had took the lead.

  
Jaw tight, Oliver moved forward, fending the crowd to get closer to Chloe. The more he walked, the more he hated that man. Fortunately it wasn't long before he made a stop a few feet in front of the unsuspecting couple.

  
“Chloe,” he said again.

  
The woman in question blinked up at him in surprise. There was something in her eyes that caught Oliver. Her pupils were dilated. He could have ignored that fact if it wasn't for her apparent confusion at his sight and the way she seemed to be in a trance.

  
The man at her side was looking at him too, apparently none too happy that Oliver crashed his moment with the beautiful blonde. The billionaire shot him a glare as accusations of drugging Chloe spawned in his mind.

  
The pissing contest was surprisingly cut short as Chloe's mind finally caught up with the situation. She blinked away the daze in her eyes and as soon as her pupils focused on him, she brightened even more.

  
“Ollie!” she sounded both surprised and happy to see him.

  
Her body fully turned in his direction, thing that both men noticed. Oliver grinned in victory. “You know you're going to give me a heart attack someday.” he teased her. “I really thought we lost you for a moment.” he added, this time he couldn't help the concern and fear he'd felt out of his tone.

  
Chloe stood up at that and moved close to him. “I'm sorry, I scared you.” she replied sincerely, searching his eyes. “I just got a bump in the head, that's it. Could have been a lot worse though.”

  
“Yeah about that, where is that burnt out Michael Schumacher? I swear he's gonna hear me!” Oliver raged.

  
“Wow okay stop right there Mr. Hothead!” Chloe immediately defused him. “That guy didn't hurt anyone, he apologized profusely and promised me he was going to quit driving.”

  
Oliver looked at her in disbelief. “And you believed him?” he exclaimed incredulously.

  
The petite woman sent him a playful glare. “Of course I didn't, who do you think I am? That doesn't mean I won't keep an eye on him and make sure he never touches a driving wheel again.”

  
“Now I recognize you!” Oliver laughed, he could finally feel the tightness in his chest fade away knowing that Chloe was safe and sound. The moment was perfect until... _until of course that douchebag had to remind them he was standing right there!_

  
Chloe's eyebrows raised comically at the sound of someone clearing his throat as she seemed to remember that Davis Bloome was still here.

  
“Oh my god, I'm so sorry,” she blushed in embarrassment. “Davis this is Oliver Queen; Oliver meet Davis Bloome.”

  
_Davis Bloome... so that guy has a name. Anyway he's in for a background check tonight!_

  
Oliver was apparently the only one able to see the barely suppressed dark expression in the paramedics eyes as both men shook hands. The grasp was strong and he literally had to bite his tongue not to give any sign of weakness.

  
_Holy shit, how come that guy is so strong?!_

  
The blond hero praised himself on his ability to endure intense pain but at the moment, he only prayed for the other man to release his hand because he wasn't going to be able to withstand that challenge. Which was a blow to his pride and ego by the way. Not to forget of Oliver's unusually large ego but it was a blow nonetheless.

  
Eventually, Davis mumbled an almost inaudible 'nice to meet you.' and let go of him. Oliver would have sighed out loud in relief if he wasn't inpublicbut he managed to keep on his strong mask.

  
After a few seconds of awkward silence between the three young people, Oliver raised a defiant eyebrow at his competitor. “Well, we wouldn't want to keep you Mr...hm” he leaned over a little as if to search for Davis's name on his uniform. “Bloome. Other people might need your help.”

  
He nearly smirked at the fury on Davis's face. The other man stared at him for a couple more seconds before taking off in the direction of his ambulancebut that, of course, wasn't done without one last glance sent at Chloe.

  
“That guy creeps me out,” Oliver admitted after a few moment.

  
When Chloe didn't answer, he looked down at her, realizing that she looked like she was spacing out, her eyes unfocused in the direction of the ground. “Chloe!” Oliver drew her out of her trance patiently, half amused, half concerned. “You okay there, Miss I-like-to-live-in-my-own-mind?”

  
Chloe gazed up at him. “Sorry I guess I zoned out,” she said sheepishly.

  
“Yeah, I guess you did. Anyway, I was talking about your new friend, Davis.” he couldn't help the little bit of venom that came with the other man's name in his tone.

  
“Who?”

  
Oliver was about to smirk thinking she was teasing him when he noticed the sheer confusion in her eyes. “Chloe, are you sure you're alright?” he asked, this time his worry for her coming back with quick strides. His hands fell gently on her shoulders so that he could examine her face properly.

  
“Sure,” she was quick to answer.

  
He watched her for a moment, studying her expression. “Huh-uh, I want to be sure of that, which is why... we are going to the hospital.” he announced firmly.

  
She groaned. “Ollie no! Not the hospital, please!” she whined in a way that made him smile.

  
“You're in no position to protest!” Oliver shot back matter of factly as he took her hand and began to lead her to where is car should be parked. “We need to make sure our Watchtower is 100% in the game, I'm just being careful.” he gave her his boyish grin over his shoulder.

  
Chloe huffedbut she let herself be led by him. “Ay ay captain!” she mock-saluted him.

  
The captain in question shook his head but said nothing. They walked in comfortable silence for a few moments before something came back in Oliver's memory. “Oh, Chloe.” he stopped and turned around to face her, they hands still joined, fingers interlaced. “By the way I was going to Isis to ask you something.” Nervousness suddenly filled him. “Well, you know, a few hours ago I received an invite to a gala hosted by Regan Matthews.” he paused, watching realization flick in her eyes at the name. “I think we need to go there and investigate.”

  
“Which leads me to my point,” he continued and swallowed to moisten his unexpectedly dry throat. “I need a date for that event and I thought... well I thought you might want to go with me so we could get some work done on the field?” he asked hopefully, inwardly rolling his eyes at his attitude.

  
_What's wrong with you? This is Chloe!_

  
Chloe looked surprised for a second. “You want me to be your date?” she asked rhetorically. She pondered his offer for a moment, shifting on her feet as she did so. She didn't forget that she'd complained several times in his company that she missed working on the fields with them just like she did with Clark in her teenage and college years. The fact that Regan Matthews, Lex's shady right hand, was the host also piqued her curiosity.

  
On the other side Chloe didn't really want to see her face in the tabloids, being pictured as Oliver's latest conquest so...

  
The seconds ticked by and yet, she hadn't given her answer. Chloe didn't realize Oliver was moments away from squirming. It wasn't long before the silence became too much for him.

  
“Geez, Chloe and I thought you were secretly madly in love with me and just waiting for me to ask you to be my date so you could finally reveal your feelings to me and open your heart!” he teased her, mostly to hide his discomfort and the strangest hint of hurt in his chest.

  
However, his moment of self-pity was short lived as Chloe, unaware of his inner turmoils, began to laugh at his antics. Once again, Oliver was struck by the way her laughter made him feel. Looking down at her, he swallowed hard as his eyes took her in and his mind wandered into territory it should be allowed to.

  
_God even with that scratch on her cheek she's beautiful._

  
Her laughter died in her throat as she noticed him watching her. Returning his intense gaze with a soft and curious one of her own that had Oliver slowly lean forward. Why did he want to kiss her so much now?

  
He blinked as his mind registered what was happening and quickly stood back up, averting her eyes before he did something stupid as he rubbed a hand behind his neck.

  
“I just... I just thought you might like working with me on the fields, it's a nice change you know. Besides...” His eyes widened as a _wonderful_ idea popped up in his head. “Besides, you might reconsider my offer if I tell you there are a full dozen bags of coffee in the end.”

  
Oh yeah, he was feeling extremely proud of himself right now as her own eyes widened with interest. He smiled softly at her expression.

  
“A dozen bags, over two pounds each, flown straight from the most exquisite, exotic coffee cropping fields on the planet.” he whispered each word as if they were the most important secret not to be revealed.

  
Her mouth parted slightly, a dreamy look crossing her face. She groaned. “You don't play fair!”

  
This time, he laughed. “I know.” he replied smugly. “So that's a yes?”

  
He cupped his ear. “Hm? Yes?”

  
She gazed at him in amusement.

  
“Yes?” he grinned

  
“Yes.”

* * *

_**October 31 st 2008\. 04:21 PM UTC-6. Cadmus Labs, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

  
Regan Matthews watcheddownstairs as the medical team worked on Lex's body. They were just beginning the second hour of surgery and so far, it was playing out without an itch.

  
Regan was glad. Soon his boss would be able to stop the Traveler's threat himself and the world would be a safer place. Soon, just not yet.

  
Not yet, there were still eleven hours to go in order to complete stage one of the Prometheus project. And that was more than enough time for Regan to do something he knew Lex wouldn't approve. It didn't matter, he would never find out.

  
His hand found his cellphone in his overcoat's pocket. Dialing a number he was beginning to know by heart, he pressed the phone to his ear and waited. The other man didn't wait long before answering.

  
“Yes?” came a wary voice.

  
“Martin Keamy?” Regan spoke up. “I have a job for you.”

  
There was a moment of silence. “What kind of job?”

  
“A greenlight”. Regan replied simply.

  
Keamy made an understanding sound, no doubt taking notes. “That'll cost you.”

  
“I have the money, how much are we talking about?”

  
“Fifty grand.” Keamy answered. “Plus twenty-five percent as down payment.”

  
“So we're talking about $62,500, am I correct?” Shit, he was more expensive than he'd first thought.

  
“Correct.”

  
“You'll have the money in a couple of hours, $12,500 cash.” Regan assured.

  
“Good. Now who's the target?” Keamy asked.

  
At that, Regan stood taller and walked away from the surgery room. “You might have heard of her. Her name is Tess Mercer.”


	7. The Darkness Hides In The Light...

 

 

 

_'It's a shame that Lex couldn't be here to see this. The elusive band of terrorists finally in captivity.' - Regan Matthews, Season 8, Episode 1: "Odyssey"_

* * *

_**November 3rd 2008. 08:56 PM UTC-6. Main Street, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

A shiver went down Tess's spine and she didn't know if it was a consequence of the Midwest chill or the odd sensation that she was being watched. She tightened the coat around herself anyway and walked faster to get to her car, the sound of her heels hitting the pavement being the only thing disturbing the otherwise largely empty street.

She'd just left the Daily Planet after a very long day spent between managing the newspaper, keeping in touch with her substitutes at Luthorcorp Plazza and, more importantly, trying to get in contact Lex. The man was alive, she was certain of that and if her suspicion wasn't enough, tailing Regan Matthews' car had given her confirmation of that.

Even if Matthews managed to escape her agents every time, there could only be one reason for him to rely half of his work on his assistants and keep disappearing at the oddest hours of the night. That reason was Lex.

Tess was only a few steps away from her car when the tallest man she'd ever seen blocked her path, a friendly smile on his face that caught her off-guard as she looked up at him warily.

"Excuse me, you're Miss Mercer, right?" the man asked politely, keeping a reasonable distance between them.

"Y... That would be me, yes." she replied calmly even though her eyes kept discreetly analyzing the place for anybody else. It was already dark and no one else crossed her sight, she figured people would rather stay at home than go out when it was this cold outside. Unfortunatelyit turned things to her disadvantage.

Despite her suspicions and outwardly controlled attitude, the man's act had made her fail to hear the generic looking van driving rapidly in their direction.

"Well, I'm happy to finally meet you," he extended his hand, his smile only growing but she noticed the smirk he couldn't quite manage to hide. "I think we have a lot of talking to do, Tess. You don't mind if I call you Tess, do you?"

The sound of the van's lateral door sliding openand tires screeching reached her ears. She jumped and turned around quickly. There were at least five other men in that van,  _holy shit she'd been played!_

She began to runbut her assailant was too quick, he'd already grabbed her, a cloth smelling like chloroform finding its way to her face, muffling her screams.

As her mind began to fall asleep under the drug's influence she heard the man behind her whispering to her.

"Shhh." he murmured calmly. "You're in good hands Tess."

Even in her situation she didn't miss the hint of sarcasm in his tone and her last thought was that she was in anything but good hands. She was dead.

* * *

Tess groaned, feeling lightheaded for a moment before a wave of nausea hit her and she wanted nothing more than to puke for a short instant until it eventually passed. Several harsh breaths later Tess opened her eyes slowly. The blur clouding her vision until she blinked it away and realized she was tied up to a chair.

"She coming to, boss!" A male voice called from her right, startling her. "Oh sorry sweetheart I didn't mean to scare you." she spotted the man leaning on the wall, he was mocking her.

"What do you want?" she croaked, her heart pounding so fast she felt it beat in her ears.

"Oh, that's a loaded question!"

"Omar!" a familiar voice chastised. Tess looked up to see the face of her kidnapper. "Please excuse my colleague, he's just in need of a woman's touch!"

"Shut up!" Omar growled.

The other man chuckled. "Come on the least you could do for her is to make her enjoy her last moments."

"Give us a room then." Omar smirked, making his peers snicker.

"I was talking about her enjoying it so that leaves you out ofquestion." His chief joked, renewing the laughter of the other men in the room.

Irritation swept over her fear, her jaw clenched. "I'm still in the same room so unless you have a counter-order you should shoot me now and get it over with already." she spoke all the while maintaining strong-eye contact with the man before her. " _That_ is the least you could do!"

There was a whistle in the room. "A woman who's not afraid to speak her mind, I'm impressed." The leader applauded. "Usually the people sat in this chair are already crying for pity, bawling their eyes out inhope to give us a little tear when we finally pull the trigger. It never worked."

Tess just shook her head in disgust and swallowed her fear back.

"But please," he continued. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Martin Keamy, I'm a mercenary, nothing of this is personal, it's just business, yadda yadda..." he used his hands for emphasis before taking a chair and setting it down close to her, sitting on it. "You know the music."

"What do you want?" she repeated.

"Hm let's see," Keamy began. "I'm working for a man who apparently doesn't like you very much given the price he's willing to pay for your death." he confirmed her worst fears before standing up and walking away, looking for something. "And you know, as much as it pains me to have to kill a sweet thing like you, it's just the job and I always finish my job."

He stopped in front of a table, his hand finding a gun, the other grabbing a silencer. He walked back towards her while screwing the silencer at the end of the gun's barrel and sighed. "As much as I'm going to sound cliché once again, it's just business." With that, he pressed the gun to her temple.

Tess let out a shaky breath and turned her head so she could look at Keamy in the eye. A dreadful questions on her lips that made her heart almost leap out of her chest, she could barely bring herself to ask it. "Please tell me you're not working for Lex Luthor, please!" she pleaded, tears swarming in her eyes. She couldn't take it if she was right.

Keamy smirked. "Now she's crying." His five men cackled at her predicamentbut their leader took his time to examine her face. "But you're not crying because you're afraid, which you are by the way," he spoke quietly. "No, you just can't accept that the man you'd give your life for would a hire a guy like me to kill you, am I right?"

It felt like a cold iron hand was squeezing her heart. "I gave him everything..." she rasped, unable to stop the tears flowing from her eyes. "I did everything I could to find himbut he didn't want to be found, he never trusted me!"

This time, the redhead's breakdown brought silence upon the group. Keamy didn't react, he just cocked the gun and said rather disinterestedly: "Whenever you're ready!"

"Go ahead, shoot me!" she yelled, wishing he'd put her out of her misery already without trying to get a good laugh out of it. "Please..."

* * *

_**November 3rd** **2008\. 09:00 PM UTC-6. Clocktower Penthouse, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Oliver walked back into the conference room in his penthouse where Chloe had just finished setting up her equipment and was already busy connecting Dinah, AC and Victor into their secure server.

She looked up at him from her screen, a smile on her face. "Hey, where's Bart?" she asked. Oliver had been helping her with the stuff when Bart had buzzed at the door and he left to let him in.

Oliver smiled back. "You know where his priorities lies... he stopped by the fridge first."

The petite blonde snorted. "Why am I even surprised?"

"What's not surprising?" a third voice asked. Chloe and Oliver looked back towards the large TV screen on the other side of the room. "Hi guys." Victor greeted.

Before they could answers, two other heads popped onto the screen. "Hello everyone." Dinah spoke.

"Well I guess everyone's here now." Chloe smiled again. "And for the record we were talking about Bart."

"Yeah or Bart's stomach to be precise." Oliver joked.

"Let me guess, he's diving into your refrigerator right as we speak, right?" AC chimed in.

"Good guess," Oliver confirmed.

The other man smirked. "I know, I'm always right."

Chloe rolled her eyes as she heard Victor snort. "Dude, that's hardly a guess! The kid's always eating something."

Before AC could shoot back anything else, Chloe cut them off. "Can we talk about what matters here? Like why we called you in?" she almost pleaded.

"And when we're done you'll have all the time you need for your first grade level chitchat, boys." Dinah backed her up.

Chloe sent her a grateful smile and was about to talk again when, as if on cue, Bart sped through the door, stopping at Chloe's side with an arm draped around her shoulders. "Hey gorgeous, s'been a while!" he talked, his mouth full of food before looking around and spotting everyone else. "Hey guys, talking about me again I take it? I know I'm _that_ good but still..."

"We were discussing your mad love for food, you're damn worse than a hormonal tween." Victor teased.

The younger man put on his best innocent look. "Wut? Haven't been eatin' I swear!" He rose his right hand in the same gesture.

"How can you even lie with so much food half way down your throat right now?" AC asked incredulously.

"Better question, how can you even _talk_ with so much food in your mouth, right now?" Victor rectified.

Oliver could see from the corner of the eye that Chloe had crossed her arms over her chest and was glaring at the three men. He did his best to kill his grin and stepped in. "Alright people," he called loudly over the sound of the guys' bickering. "Save it for later, now's the time to get down to business, less talking more working." The three 'kids' were finally silent and listening to him, Oliver turned to Chloe. "Sidekick, you're on."

She shook her head for a moment before switching to what Oliver liked to call her 'Watchtower mode', explaining the situation. They spent the next three hours discussing the various subjects at hand. The decreasing crime rates all over the countries and a nation-wide weapon traffic sloppily dismantled by the FBI in Washington DC causing at least five thousand firearms illegally flowing into the streets which could bring up that same crime rate again.

These subjects, however were briefly skimmed over when the word firearm turned into hired guns and hit-men which led to questions about the Keamy situation. Chloe explained her difficulties in finding him but proved his link to Lex and that brought Regan Matthews into the conversation. Oliver's invitation to the latter's gala being a not-so-subtle hint that Lex knew all their identities.

Of course, Bart, Victor and AC's alter-ego were always known to the Luthor heir, it was Dinah and Oliver it concerned the most there. Though everyone was taking it seriously since Lex also knew about Clark and Chloe, which, by extension compromised the entire Justice League.

An hour later, the problem of the frequent gruesome killings all over Metropolis was broached. The team talked at length about it and came to the conclusion that the case was serious enough it needed the entire JLA in the area.

 _No man or animal is able to do that. It has to be alien._ Chloe had announced, soon, Victor agreed and the rest of them  knewthat if the smartest member of the team agreed with the most rational one then there could be no discussion, they were right.

"So it's settled then? Everyone to Kansas, ASAP?" Bart asked somewhat warily, he sensed the seriousness in the room and immediately realized that case was going to be unlike everything they'd encountered yet.

"I wouldn't say that, you have time to get a plane ticket rather than take the Bart Express." Oliver reasoned. "Right now our priority is Lex and that begins Friday with Matthews' charity event which Chloe and I are attending."

"Remind me again why I'm not the one who's got to have Mamacita on his arm all night?" Bart grumbled, making the blond man roll his eyes.

"Because you ruined the last tuxedo I gave you with some kind of sauce and I don't even want to know what it was." Oliver retorted, making their friends snicker at their cadet.

"Dude, it was Bourguignonne sauce, awesome shit you should try it! And it wasn't my fault, it was that guy who bumped into me, not the other way!"

Chloe raised an eyebrow at that. "Don't you mean he bumped into you because you were about to use your super-speed and remembered at the last moment that you were in a public place?"

"Duh, no comment." the speedster flushed guiltily before zooming away, probably back in Oliver's kitchen once again.

"Ah that kid..." AC chuckled. "I'll see you guys next week then?"

"Sure." Chloe confirmed.

"Alright, see you then."

AC logged out before Dinah and Victor bid their goodbyes. Dinah had just disconnected and Victor was about to when Chloe heard the sound of plates breaking in the kitchen, rolled her eyes and left to see what damage Bart had done. Oliver took it as his cue and stopped Victor from leaving at the last moment.

"Looks like someone needs my help with something, right Ollie?" the cyborg teased his friend.

"Yeah, well..." Oliver looked back to make sure Chloe was gone before turning towards his friends. "Can you make a background check for me?" he asked, his voice lower so no one else could hear.

Victor's surprise was quickly replaced when his business attitude took over once more. "Sure boss, who do you want me to scan? Is it tied with the murders?"

Oliver pursed his lips and looked sheepish for a moment. "Uh... not so much actually..." he looked back in the door's direction.

Realization dawned on Victor's face. "I get it." he chuckled. "Is Chloe dating a new guy?"

The other man's eyes widened. "What? No! Not that I know of at least..." There was a slight pang in his chest at the thought of Chloe dating anyonebut he quickly brushed  itaside . "It's that guy actually, he looked odd and he was too close to Chloe."

Humor died in Victor's eyes. "I see, a new stalker, right?"

Oliver's hand flew to the back his neck. "I don't know, maybe. His name is Davis Bloome..."

Writing the name down, Victor asked. "What did he do?"

"He was making her laugh." the billionaire mumbled, feeling stupid all of a sudden.

The other man's head jerked up at that. "I'm sorry, did you just say you want me to scan a guy who madeChloe laugh?" This time he didn't try to hide his amusement, the situation was too entertaining for that. "You know you sound like a jealous boyfriend when you say that, right?"

Oliver narrowed his eyes at him, wondering if maybe, just maybe, he hadn't been too hard on this Davis guy. "Don't read anything that isn't there, Vic. Nothing's going on, I'm just looking out for a friend."

"Right!" He sounded anything but convinced. "You're the boss after all. Oh by the way, last time Dinah was in town I saw her flirting with a guy, should I check him too? You know maybe slip into his place and scare him a little..."

Victor laughed freely at the look on his friend's face. "I'm teasing, Ollie!" Though it confirmed, his suspicions. "You know what? When you finally see the light I reserve the right to tell you 'I told you so'!"

"Are you going to do that background check, or not?" Oliver grumbled. _Nothing's going on, Chloe's a friend. A smart, witty, beautiful friend... No, just a friend!_

"You're never too careful." Vic agreed, an amused grin on his face. "Matthews is hosting the event in a hotel right? I'm sure you and Chloe will have fun once you reach the bedroom floors."

Oliver huffed, causing his teammate to laugh harder. "Goodbye Ollie!" with that he signed out.

The other man just sighed deeply before leaving the room, his irritation soon forgotten when another plate breaking could be heard, he winced.

"BART!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't see it, I swear!"

Oliver jogged to see Chloe chasing after a frightened looking Bart around the kitchen's island. A genuine laugh left his throat at the spectacle and the thought that he could get used to this. His eyes falling on Chloe, he realized he might actually already be used to it.

* * *

_**November 3rd** **2008\. 09:21 PM UTC-6. Undisclosed location.** _

" _Go ahead, shoot me! Please..."_

She heard the gun being cocked, felt the metal pressing into her temple and waited for the shot. Her heart was out of control, pounding away through her fear. This was it, this was the end for her. Betrayed by the man she had been the most faithful to, how cruel had life been to her?

Lex Luthor was just like Oliver Queen. They made her believe in them before they'd dropped her out at the last moment without even one backward glance, one afterthought.

Her breathing was uneven as her body writhed. Despite the terror plaguing her mind, there was a small voice that told her the situation had been dragging for too long. Keamy should have shot her already.

The room was silent and tense, no one moved, no one said anything but they all knew that Keamy had all the cards in hands, he had power.

A cellphone ringing made Tess jump in surprise.

At first, Keamy didn't move, he remained standing there as if he hadn't heard the tune. On the second ring, Tess felt the gun being pulled away from her head.

"Yes?" he grunted into the phone.

She didn't dare looking up or even opening her eyesbut she heard him listen to a voice before he replied. His next words, however surprised her the most.

"The job is done, she's dead." Tess heard Keamy shift sideways and she knew he was looking at her. Glancing up, she got confirmation. They locked eyes as he spoke his next words to who she assumed was Lex. "Tess Mercer is dead."

Her jaw dropped a little and she stared at him, stunned. Keamysaid nothing more but there was a smirk on his face as he hung up. With that, he walked through the door, followed by his lieutenants. Tess could only look after them as the click of the door echoed through her room, leaving her alone with her own conclusions to make.

Martin Keamy had just saved her from Lex Luthor.

* * *

_**November 5th** **2008\. 08:34 PM UTC-6. Minst Hotel, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

"Cyborg here, Regan's here alone apparently, he's greeting the guests you should see him in twenty seconds."

"Here goes nothing." Chloe said as she smiled up at Oliver, their arms intertwined as they walked up the Minst Hotel's stairs, slowly approaching the giant entrance in which their host was saluting every guest one by one.

"Right as always Sidekick," Oliver winked at her before his attention was caught by their target.

"Oliver Queen, what a surprise!" The man's friendly tone fooled no one as he walked up to the blond couple, one of the worst fake smiles Oliver had seen on the man's face. "I actually didn't expect you to show up tonight, since when is the Queen heir interested in helping Metropolis' Fire Department?"

The jab was clear and easybut Chloe couldn't help the anger swelling in her best to keep it hidden behind a polite smile, she looked up at her companion, he looked completely unaffected. The product of years of experienced, she deduced.

"I'll admit it wasn't on the top of my list," Oliver answered smoothly. "I figured they didn't need me as long as Luthorcorp kept donating so much to them over the years, I believe this is pretty handy when one of your facilities get occasionally burned down and no one has to know, right?"

Regan's grin slipped for a second and Chloe had to bite her lip while Oliver held that proud and satisfied smirk shining. "Where are your friends Oliver?" Regan quickly changed the subject of conversation. "I see you brought Miss Sullivan with you, always a pleasure and you look quite lovely tonight. I'm sad only the two of you could come."

"Thank you," Chloe's voice was soft but her eyes told another story. The man's boldness was beginning to irritate her, especially since he didn't care about locking her up in an isolated cell forever the last time they met. "And we decided not to disturb our friend's vacation, after all the human work they've been doing, they deserve to rest."

"I understand." _he didn't._ He bent forward slightly as if to tell them a secret. "We'll have to do with the two of you then." This time he didn't even try to hide the true meaning of his words.

" _You heard that?"_ It was Bart's voice.

" _Yeah, I got it on record."_ Victor replied. _"At least we know what he's up to tonight, we'll keep a close eye on you Tower and Arrow."_

Oliver nodded discreetly, acknowledging his teammates' words. "Sorry to wreck your plans." he whispered back, the conversation taking a decisively cynical tone.

Regan grinned wickedly. "I'll see you both later."

"Of course," Oliver said to his retreating form. "Asshole." he murmured.

"Well that was actually very pleasant." Chloe drew his attention back on her with her teasing. "What shall we do now, Mr Queen?"

He grinned and bent down, his mouth dangerously close to her ear. "Let's meet with a few spoiled, shallow and hypocritical business men, you think you can handle that?"

His warm breath on her cheek made hers hitch, she felt her face blush despite herself. "As long as you're by my side." she breathed.

Their gazes met for a moment during which Chloe completely forgot the other people around them. She saw Oliver's look fall on her mouth and then back up to her eyes, he smiled. "You're beautiful, Chloe."

The words made her eyes widen and her mouth part in surprise. "Thank you," this time her answer was sincere, touched even. "You don't have to do that, you know." she looked down to avoid his intense gaze.

_Why was her heart ready to burst? And why did he make her feel so light and nervous at the same time?_

She didn't bet he would gently force her to look up, his hand under her chin. "I mean it." his tone was firm yet soft, he sounded so right. "And I'm not _just_ talking about tonight."

Chloe would deny it, of course because she didn't see the way she'd caught the eye of every man passing them, she was blind to it. And they were just at the entrance. The dress she was wearing was of course, enhanced her looksbut Oliver knew better. The turquoise material fitting her body to perfection, her curves put inelegant display and the faintest touchof make-up on her face. It was her, she hadn't improved her beauty for the night, she'd just decided to stop hiding it.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she breathed softly.

Given, Chloe refused to admit it, even to herself but the way she felt around him was different tonight. As if they'd stopped pretending and let themselves meet into uncertain territory. On the surface nothing had changed of course, Oliver looked every bit as handsome as she was used to everyday. Though, she would at least say that his black and white tuxedo fit him like a glove. His broad shoulders were sharpened, his neck elongated by the jacket while the deep green handkerchief in his breast pocket made her smile. No he didn't look bad at all in her eyes.

" _Dude, what the hell is going on?"_ A voice whined in their ears, making them snap back into the real world. _"Since when are they sexing each other up?!"_

" _Impulse!... Wrong channel..."_ Victor sounded defeated.

"Nothing's going on!" Chloe jumped back a little from Oliver, her eyes wide. She hadn't realized she'd spoken out loud.

Her partner was quick to react to cover it up. "Of course nothing's going on, Chloe we aren't even inside yet." he reached for her waist again while he tried to control his own heartbeat. "Come on, let's meet some of my business associates."

* * *

Hotel Minst was part of the upped neighborhood of Metropolis, it was just as splendid inside as outside. The white hand crafted walls, the endless-looking ball room and the high-ceiling made Chloe's head spin. No surprise over two hundred people could be all in there.

In the general noise her ears would often recognize the sound of a forced laugh, her eyes catch the sight of insincere smiles and even condescending faces. Despite herself, she tensed. She was used to dealing with dangerous criminals, find her way out of a life and death situation and hold together a team of heroes and yet, she'd rather go face to face against death than one of these hypocritical so-called tycoons.

The brush of fingers against her arms reminded her to relax, that it was just for one night and then she could go back to her usual occupations. She smiled at Oliver, thankful for his support. "Don't worry, I'll point you to the right direction." he slipped in her ear.

Turning her head towards his face, she raised her eyebrows. "The right direction?"

"Yes," he said simply, as if the answer was obvious. "There are four types of people in this room: the rich snob who's there just to enjoy having a group of people following him around, the young up and coming businessman who only wants to expand his social network and doesn't give a shit about the reason of the event he's at, then there's the old washed up type here to enjoy the food and the company because it takes them out of their boring little life and finally the best and rarest type, the genuine sometimes idealist philanthropist who truly wants to help. See? these things aren't so hard when you look at them that way!"

Chloe laughed both at the way he mocked these people and the truth of his statement. "You do really have it all figured it out, do you?" she shook her head.

He gave her a goofy grin. "I've been doing this for the past twenty years or so, haven't I?" Out of the corner of the eye, he noticed an old couple surrounded by groupies waving arms at him. He put his hands on her shoulder and turned her around so she faced the crowd and he was behind her. "And now the lesson begins. Look straight ahead, you see the old grumpy couple having more gold teeth than a drug dealer?"

"Yes."

"That's the McCormicks, they fall into the first category and we're going to say hi to them, ready?" When she hummed her acquiescent, he kissed her cheek and put his hand on the small of her back, leading her with him forward.

* * *

An hour or so later, Oliver would have led Chloe to meet the entire room. They'd spoken with every type of people the tall billionaire liked to make fun of and yet, no philanthropist in sight. Chloe had then understood that she'd been with one the entire night. Oliver wouldn't dare thinking that way about himselfbut she knew the truth: he was the best man she knew in this room. Both hero and generous benefactor, how many men like him did the world have? Not nearly enough, she'd say.

Of course, like all great men, Oliver Queen was prey to heavy criticism, sometimes it was downright insulting. Being a reformed playboy turned half tight-wearing vigilante, half leftist magnate, it was due to happen every now and then and she knew he was usedto that. Chloe could only imagine how hard it had been on him in the beginning when his parent's sudden death left him alone to fend for himself.

"I have you in my arms, we're dancing and yet you look like you're miles away, should I be worried?"

His mock-wounded voice made her roll her eyes. "Your ego will be your downfall someday, you know that?" she teased him.

"Not if you're here with me to keep it down."

This time her smile died and she swallowed hard, the pace of her heart picking up. His words could have easily been assimilated to their usual banter but the way he said it, the way he was looking at her right now told her an entirely different story. This was it, she realized, the moment they both knew would happen when he had picked her up to attend this gala.

She gasped softly, unable to look away from his drawing gaze. "Do you mean-"

" _Sorry to burst your bubble lovebirds but we have more pressing issues."_ Victor's business tone cut in. The two blondes blinked back to reality. _"I've monitored Regan's movement since the start of the event and he seems to be hiding something in this hotel."_

Oliver cleared his throat. "Where exactly?" he mumbled.

" _Thirtieth floor, the only un-numbered door at the end of the aisle, I believe this is a boardroom."_ their friend announced. _"But there's a problem. There are no cameras at all in this room and the windows are tinted."_

"Meaningyou're blind but it can also be worse if you're rendered deaf." Chloe theorized, looking up at Oliver. "Remember the scramblers at Black Creek."

"If we go in there, that'll be asking for trouble." The other blond understood. "Regan wants us, he said it. I think this is a trap."

" _I think so too but we might get valuable information in that room, we don't know if Regan's as stupid as Lex."_ The cyborg argued. _"Oh wait there's more! I just found a footage showing Regan carrying a blue triangular piece inside, is that what I think it is?"_

Chloe's eyes widened. "The crystal of knowledge?"

" _Seems so."_

"We have to get it." She stated firmly.

"Boy Scout should know."

"Oliver you know we can't disturb him right now, he may be on some lead on the Beast case." Chloe denied.

" _I can have Impulse on stand-by close to the windows, he can eavesdrop if you manage to open one of them up discreetly."_

"Yeah, you do that." Chloe said.

" _Okay and remember we've got your backs guys. Cyborg out."_

Oliver looked into the eyes of the woman in his arms. "Let's go ask for trouble."

"Lead the way."

* * *

The ascension to the 30th floor of the prestigious Minst Hotel was spent productively by the two heroes. Chloe and Oliver mapped their next moves in their minds, checked the equipment they hid under their fancy clothes and reminded themselves – uselessly, they would later say – of basic safety rules.

"Once we're inside you take out any welcome committee in there," Chloe countered, hoping they wouldn't fall head to head against fifty henchmen or worse. "I take care of the windows then we look for intel. You packed the tranqs?"

Oliver had a small tranquilizer gun on himself. He didn't like itbut they all agreed thathe couldn't bring his usual weapons tonight, there was no need to give Lex or Regan anymore proof of Oliver's alter ego.

He reached for the weapon and Chloe nodded. "Victor watched the footage of the last 48 hours, there's been no movement other than Regan himself entering and leaving the room but we'll have to make it quick." Oliver exposed.

"No reason to stall there." Chloe agreed.

"You're a fast learner Sidekick!" he teased her.

She shook her head and decided to play along with him. "You're a good mentor, Arrow." she grinned.

His smirk slipped and he avoided her eyes for a 's eyebrows furrowed at his behavior but shrugged after a second, they were both under heavy stress at the moment.

The elevator pinged, the doors slid open and they rushed out. Thecorridor was empty, quiet. They moved stealthily towards their goal. "Let's not forget the crystal." Chloe reminded her partner as she put a hand on the door's knob.

"Chloe." Oliver whispered, putting his hand on hers to stop her. She looked surprised, they locked gazes.

This would later be the first moment they realized they could share silent conversations. Oliver's eyes were intense on hers and she didn't have to hear his voice to know what he was telling her. They shared the same thought.

_Be careful... I don't want anything happening to you._

After a moment, reality set back in and they weren't Oliver and Chloe anymore. They were Arrow and Watchtower undercover, retrieving an alien crystal belonging to a friend and as much information as possible on Regan's doings.

The large conference room was dark, only lit by the faint moonlight. They both could see there was no one waiting inside though, their guts immediately told them it was a trapbut they moved along withit. The risks were necessary because the outcome could be worth it and their enemy didn't know anything yet.

Oliver made a quick tour of the room while Chloe rushed to the windows and cursed. "It's sealed!" she whispered to him. Her attention was however, quickly drawn to the humming sound of computer's fans.

Finding the source of the noise, she woke up the monitor by a movement of the mouse. A second later, she gasped at the pictures shining in the darkness. "Oliver!"

He clearly heard the urgency in her tone and jogged back to her before stopping dead in his tracks besides her, his eyes widened. "What the hell is that?"

"It's Lex!"

Indeed, on the computer's monitor was playing a video feed of a bald man's surgery in what seemed like a confined space underground. A surgeon or aid's arm came into view, removing gently the bandages covering the left side of the man's face, letting a fresh yet still scarred skin come intolight. It was definitely Lex Luthor's face. He opened his eyes and stared straight into the camera as his body was moved towards a tank filled with liquid.

The surgeons, now clothed of hazmat suits, deposed him inside it. Lex, being now completely drowned into the tank still watched the same spot, the roof where the camera was attached. He smirked, as if knowing they were watching.

A moment later, Chloe and Oliver could only watch as the tank was set aflame, the liquid spreading the fire. Lex screamed, trashed around and passed out. Then, the feed was cut.

"You finally decided to get in there!" A voice sounded behind them. "I was getting impatient."

They turned around, meeting with Regan and six other men Chloe and Oliver recognized as Martin Keamy and his crew. _That_ , wasn't part of the plan.

"What do you want Regan?" Oliver demanded, suspiciously eyeing Keamy who didn't seem too pleased to be here.

Regan raised his eyebrows innocently. "What do I want?" he asked. "What about you? What are you doing here?"

"We're getting something back that doesn't belong to you!" Chloe intervened.

Keamy raised an eyebrow, his interest picked as Regan spoke up again. "Oh, you mean this? Miss Sullivan?" He grabbed a shining deep blue triangular piece: The crystal of knowledge. "You know I wasn't really expecting any of you to come tonight, I thought I was being too obvious but you two still came. I'm amazed!" he bragged. "How did you think this night was going to end?"

Oliver grunted and took a daring step forward. "Give the crystal back and get the hell out, Regan. You don't know what you're doing!" he said, his voice hard.

"Excuse me? I don't know what I'm doing?"

"No you don't." the billionaire continued as Chloe kept looking at the mercenaries. Keamy seemed more and more interested in the conversation and she feared he might attempt something. "You have no fucking idea what's going on around youbut you still try to play along." Oliver pushed on with his harsh words. "Do you really think you can kidnap us so easily? Even if you manage to do that, how will Lex react? I know him he wants to do everything by himself. He would never let one of his monkeys capture us, he wants that glory for him and him alone."

Regan's eyes filled with fury. He pulled a gun from his belt. "If I hear one more word coming out of your mouth, you're dead Queen!"

Chloe gasped quietly, her eyes immediately falling on the hidden tranquilizing gun under Oliver's jacket. However, the latter was quicker than her. "You want to shoot me? Do it!" he challenged, raising his hands up. "Shoot and tell Lex how you killed me, another reason you'll give him to break your neck!"

Time was suspended, no one moved as Regan seemed to ponder his next move and think over Oliver's words. It gave the latter more time than he needed to draw his own pistol, instantly aiming it at his head. Chloe's eyes widened, this wasn't the tranquilizer gun.

"Oliver!" she whispered. _Don't do anything stupid!_

The only indication that he heard her was the faintest nod of his head, reassuring her on his plans. Nevertheless, she didn't count on Regan overhearing her, he smirked.

"I might not be able to kill you right now but I think I just found an alternative."

As soon as Regan's eyes set on Chloe again, Oliver understood. "Chloe!"

Things happened fastbut she knew exactly what was about to play out. In a lightning move, Oliver's arms twirled her around the same instant she heard the first shot behind fired. A second later, she was back in her position and Oliver was behind her when a second detonation filled her ears.

Chloe was dizzy, adrenaline kicking in too late but she watched as everyone stood frozen for an eternity. Her heart was beating fast when her eyes saw Regan fall first, blood on his leg. He moaned in pain as if only realizing it now. His gun was quickly discarded, laying on the ground.

A second moan, this time from behind her set off a unique feeling of terror inside her. Oliver slipped to the ground as she turned around. Her eyes widened, he'd been shot in the abdomen.

"Shoot her!" Regan ordered from his spot, unable to move.

Her ears picked up the sound of guns being drawnbut she didn't think about it, her entire self focused on the other injured man, until...

"Stand down." It was Keamy's voice.

Somehow, it set her in action. Reacting on instincts and thanking her training with the guys, her hand found Oliver's gun, she turned, cocked the weapon and aimed it at the mercenary's grinning face.

They stared at each other for a moment. One's eyes filled with fear and determination, the other exposing the barest hint of morbid satisfaction and evil. It shook her even more, Keamy looked like a lion ready to jump on its prey at any moment.

"Hands behind your head," she ordered. "All of you!" the men executed grudgingly except their leader who looked like he was only holding himself back to humor her. She took a few short breaths. "On your knees now!"

Once again, they did as ordered. Keamy didn't even try to hide what was going on in his head, she supposed he knew what was coming. "We'll meet again, Chloe Sullivan." he swore.

She tried to ignore the lump in her throat as she yelled for Bart to get them, hoping he could hear her. She was trembling she couldn't help it. She was surrounded by Lex's henchmen whose leader might even be more evil than the bald billionaire. Worse, Oliver was hurt... and it looked bad.

This was definitely not the night they'd envisioned.

Her thoughts were cut short when in front of her Martin Keamy jumped to his feet with a speed almost inhuman, he threw himself forward. Towards her and Oliver but it was clear in his eyes he was going after the whole Justice League and all of their friends at this very moment.

A gun wouldn't stop him.


	8. ... But Red Is Hell's Favorite

 

 

_'Now I know why Oliver had such faith in you. He finally met someone who was a match for his confidence.' - Emil Hamilton to Chloe Sullivan, Season 9, Episode 3: "Rabid"_

* * *

_**November** **5th** **2008\. 08:35** **PM UTC-6.** **Minst Hotel** **, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

_Her thoughts were cut short when in front of her Martin Keamy jumped to his feet with a speed almost inhuman, he threw himself forward. Towards her and Oliver but it was clear in his eyes he was going after the whole Justice League and all of their friends at this very moment._

_A gun wouldn't stop him._

Maybe not. Be she'd be damned if she didn't fight him off.

It all happened so fast but the moment a blur of red zoomed through the room, Chloe knew they were safe. As safe as they could be, Oliver was still unconscious and bleeding which was why she didn't give a second thought about seeing Keamy and his men being disposed by Bart, she turned back to focus on her other hero.

"Oliver!" He stirred and groaned in pain, her eyes closed in relief for a moment. _He was still alive._

"Holy shit, Chlo I'm sorry, I..." Chloe jerked her head towards a guilt-stricken Bart. "At least you did good getting one down on that bastard!" the youngster gestured in the direction of Keamy's unconscious form.

"What?" her eyebrows furrowed.

He looked at her oddly. "You put him out of the way."

"Oh," Chloe looked back at the mercenary. There was a bloody red streak on his cheek. "I thought it was you." _I must have reacted on instinct,_ Chloe figured.

"Nope, you did all the job on that one." Bart announced as he crouched down at Oliver's side. "I saw you strike your gun's canon on his face. Knocked him out right away." Another groan of pain caught their attention. "Oh man, that looks bad!"

Indeed, the blood was now darkening as it flowed out of Oliver's gushing wound. It stressed Chloe out even more, her mind worked at full potential to deal both with her emotions and to make out a plan to save him. She would save him, Oliver Queen was too valuable to die.

 _Think Chloe, think!_ She did manage to do that well for AC in Iran, why couldn't she do that now? Her eyes widened as fresh memory came back upfront her mind. "Hamilton!" she let out, her tone nothing but hopeful. "Dr. Emil Hamilton, Bart you have to get Oliver at this man's house right now!" she spoke rapidly. "He's living down the MacArthur Avenue, number 332!"

"Doctor, what?" Bart asked. "Who's that guy?"

"Bart there's no time! Do it, it's our only way to save Oliver!"

The speedster swallowed heavily and nodded. He did his best to carry his mentor as comfortably as he could and stood up, only stopping at Chloe's spot. "I'll be back for you in a second." With that he took off.

* * *

_**November** **5th** **2008.** **10:44** **PM UTC-6.** **Hamilton Residence, MacArthur Avenue** **, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Emil Hamilton walked down the corridor in a hurry, a displeased frown on his face. The constant ringing had drawn him away from the pile of paperwork he had been working on, it waswork that had to be done before Monday for the university.

"Yes! I'm coming, I'm coming..." The man shouted as he arrived at his door. "I swear it's got to be urgent, if this is some prank..."

As soon as his hand turned the knob, a young looking man carrying a much larger one came barging inside and sped down his aisle towards the nearest room: his living room.

"What is this? Mister? Mister!" Emil scurried after the stranger, getting angrier by the second. "What do you think you're doing in my home?!"

The young boy turned back towards him, he didn't look like he wanted any harm. "You're Emil Hamilton, right?" he asked hopefully.

The other man huffed aloud and pushed his glasses up his nose as he glanced at his assailant warily. "That would be me," he answered. "I hope you're not here to crash down with you-" his rant died when his eyes fell on the second man immobile on his couch, there was blood all over his shirt. "This is Oliver Queen!" he exclaimed. "Oh my god, what happened to him?"

Seeing the doctor rush to Oliver's side reassured Bart in a strange way. "Look I don't know what I can tell you, Doc. Sorry." he looked anxiously down to his friend's side and then back at Emil again. "Can you fix him?"

The hope in the kid's voice brought something out of him that he wished he had forgotten. He was stunned for a second, still trying to catch up with everything that was happening. "I am not a doctor anymore, I'm a physicist!" he protested. "I can't do anything, you have to get him to the hospital!"

"No hospital, Doc." Bart interrupted, raising his hands in a stopping gesture. "Come on, there's gotta be something you can do, right? Please?"

There again, this hope... Emil took a second to observe the young man. He looked like he was two seconds away from panicking, his hands were blood stained and shaking. Clearly, he was a close relative to Oliver Queen. The worse was the look in his eyes, he had had the same when... "Oh god!" Emil looked down for a second and closed his eyes.

_I really shouldn't..._ "Alright." He spoke again quickly when the kid's eyes lit up. "Don't think I'll be able to fix him, I'll do what I can but I can't promise anything!"

"Dude, no problem just do your thing I'll be back in a sec'!"

Emil stood up as the other man was about to run off. "Wait where are you going? I need some equipment! Towel, bandages, antiseptic, scalpels..."

Bart sent him a blank look. "Whatever man, I'll get your stuff I just have to drop someone here quickly."

"But you'll never be able to do that on time, your friend might die when-" Emil didn't have the chance to finish his sentence, his words failed him when the kid disappeared in a blur of red and yellow colors right in front of him. "...Or maybe not." he deadpanned.

* * *

_**November** **5th** **2008.** **10:47** **PM UTC-6.** **Minst Hotel** **, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Chloe had just finished gathering information from the computer when a strong wind blew through the room. Her heart beat faster instantly as her eyes found Bart. "How is he? You found the place? Is Hamilton okay with it?" she shot questions after questions.

Bart moved towards her, looking a bit breathless -because of the stress, she knew- "I dropped him off at the doc's place and he looks like he's okay with helping but I don't know if Ollie's gonna make it." He looked down, jaw tight.

"He's gonna make it!" Chloe replied firmly. "He has to! Come on, bring me to him now."

Bart looked at her for a moment and held his breath. "Chloe... there's something going on between you two, right?" The look on Chloe's face was all the answer he neededbut he let her speak for herself.

The young woman, looked at him with wide eyes and then fled his gaze for a moment as if searching for answers. "I..." What could she say? Would it even hurt him to admit she felt something, something different for their leader? "Not yet." she admitted, her eyes downward.

Bart smiled sadly. "It's okay Chloe, I've seen you as a friend for years now." he reassured her. She looked up at him at his admission. "I just like teasing you."

She cracked a faint smile at that. "I like it too." Then it died. "Can we go now...?"

Bart nodded, understanding her impatience. He was feeling the same, he just knew she felt it stronger. "We're ready to go." He confirmed and gathered her in his arms for the take off. "He'll be okay, Chlo." he slipped in his ear.

They left in a gust of wind, papers flying in their trail, leaving a group of unconscious men behind them.

* * *

_**November** **5th** **2008.** **10:50** **PM UTC-6.** **Hamilton Residence, MacArthur Avenue** **, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

The ride was short, as soon as things stopped rushing around her Chloe found herself standing in the middle of the Hamilton's apartment. Her eyes looked for anyonebut it seemed Bart and her were alone. At least the dried blood on the sofa was proof Oliver had been here. _There was_ _a lot of it_. She swallowed hard.

Chloe sharply turned around when the sound of footsteps preceded the arrival of a middle-aged man about Bart's height, Emil Hamilton she recognized him from the pictures. The physicist stopped promptly when he spotted her.

"Oh, you're back." he said as he removed blood stained plastic gloves from his hands and moved towards Chloe, his hand extended. "I suppose you're this young man's friend," he pointed to Bart. "I'm Emil Hamilton."

"I know." she replied quickly. "I'm sorry, I really don't want to appear rude to you but I need to know how Oliver's doing. Please."

The doctor seemed to understand. He nodded but didn't say more to her as he turned to the younger man in the room who was watching him anxiously. "I'm going to need some tools." Emil announced. "Here." he handed him a sheet of paper on which was scrabbled a list of surgical instruments. "I'm going to need those very soon, do you think you'll be able to find them?"

Bart nodded several, his eyes shining. "I'll manage." he rasped.

"Good." Emil glanced back at Chloe before stepping out of the room while gesturing her to follow him inside. She heard the whoosh of Bart's take off and took a deep breath before walking forward.

She crossed the corridor with a few strides and arrived in what she deduced was usually the man's office. In the middle of the room lay Oliver's unconscious form on a white draped desk which had been cleared out of everything.

The hero's unresponsive body and the blood still seeping on the white blanket was like a blow to her stomach. She didn't think twice and rushed to his side, taking his hand in hers.

"He already lost a lot of blood."

The doctor's voice made her jump in surprise. He was behind her, preparing cottons of antiseptic. Emil stopped when he noticed her reaction. "I'm sorry."

"It's nothing." Chloe waved her hand off. "Can you tell me what his situation is?" she asked, her eyes falling back on the other man.

Emil watched her for a second before going back to his task. "Where you here when he got shot?"

She closed her eyes. "Yes." she nodded.

The doctor hummed. "He took the bullet in the left side of his abdomen. That's where the stomach and the pancreas are." he explained as he put the cottons in a box and took it with him when he moved at Oliver's side across Chloe.

Chloe met his eyes before he looked down and began to wipe clean the area of Oliver's wound. "I don't know why you chose me specifically but I hope you knew I'm not a surgeon anymore when you made that choice."

"Yes, I know that." Chloe confirmed. "The reason I chose you was because I already knew Sargon Al-Hinnawi from a previous encounter in Syria a few months back." She locked eyes with him, he didn't look surprised. "I needed medical support in Metropolis in case anything happened, like tonight..." she looked away and licked her lips nervously. "He recommended you, said you were the best." she finished softly.

He smiled slightly and finished preparing Oliver. "Sar and I go way back and I hope I'll be able to live up to his words tonight." The dirty cottons were tossed togarbage, Emil's face found a grave expression once again. "What's your name?"

Chloe blinked, feeling horrible for not realizing he didn't know her at all and she was forcing him to treat her friend. "Chloe Sullivan."

"Well Chloe, I'm going to be brutally honest here." Emil cautioned, both his hands gripping the table. "I think the bullet went through Mr. Queen's left kidney. I'm honestly unable to repair it here so you'll have to make a choice. Either you take him to MetGen and he walks out almost unscathed in two days from now..." Emil stopped for a second, sighing deeply. "Or I operate him now and I'll have to perform a nephrectomy."

She shifted on her feet, her eyebrows furrowing. Her head hurt a lot of a sudden and then it was gone. "A nephrectomy. You're going to remove his kidney!" she gasped.

Emil's eyes widened a little at her knowledge but recovered quickly. "I have no other choice." he confirmed.

"I... I can't let him go the hospital." she admitted, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at Oliver's face. Her hand stoking his hair as she whispered to him. "I'm sorry." Looking up again, there was a question on her lips. "Will he be able to live normally with only one kidney?"

"It depends." Emil conceded. "Does he smoke or do any drugs?" At Chloe's vehement negation movement, he nodded. "He's obviously in a marvelous shape, so... If I do this right, he might be able to live his life like nothing's changed, absolutely nothing."

"Do it." The words were out of her mouth not even a second later.

"Fine." Emil accepted.

At that moment, a strong wind blew through the room. Bart was besides Emil, a bag full of instruments in his hands.

"That was fast." the older man commented. "You got everything?"

"Yea." Bart confirmed, glancing at Oliver. "How is he?"

Chloe gave him a reassuring smile. "Emil will have to operate him but he'll be alright."

Bart's swallow was evident, his head turned towards the other man, his eyes questioning.

"I'll do my best, the operation is current in general surgery. We will save him." Emil assured firmly.

"O.. Okay."

"Now please, wait outside I'm going to need Chloe to assist me." he said, a comprehensive hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I'll tell you everything when it's over."

The two young people locked eyes and Chloe smile softly again. "Go."she said. "Call the boys and tell them what's going on, they have to know."

Bart nodded and walked out of the room mechanically, closing the door behind himself. Both Chloe and Emil were silent for a moment until he turned towards her. "Is that alright? That you assist me, do you think you can handle that?"

"I'll do anything you want me to do." Chloe stressed assuredly.

"Let's start then, it's going to last for hours we can't lose time."

* * *

Oliver had been stripped to his underwear. Emil was planting an IV into his arm to pump anesthetics into his blood while Chloe was washing her hands before joining them.

"What now?" she asked dreadfully.

"The product will keep him asleep until dawn, at least. In the meantime we'll open his flank, remove the bullet, isolate his kidney and then take it out. Ready?" Emil looked at her, admiring her for her strength. The woman had no medical formation and yet it she wasn't running away.

Her body shook faintly as she nodded. "As much as I can be."

"Good then, let's move him to his side."

Chloe helped the doctor put Oliver into position. He instructed her to put on her mask as he did his and turned on the light linked to his surgical glasses.

"Scalpel, the thin one." Emil hold his hand out.

Chloe gave it to him, her eyes following his hand at it guided the tool through Oliver's skin, conducting a neat five inches long cut. This was it, she knew they'd crossed the point of no return.

The next hour was spent washing the blood away and removing the bullet. Chloe realized how hard it was for Emil to actually perform the surgery, it had been six years since his last one. She'd caught him a few times looking unsure of himself but so far he was doing an outstanding job and she hada feeling he was going to keep it that way.

"Okay, now that's one done." Emil announced victorious as the bullet hit loudly the stainless steel of the basin in Chloe's hand. "I'll clamp the veins and arteries of his kidney now, I'm going to need the towel clamps, that's a pair of small scissors with a curved blade, yes this one!" he said when her hand grabbed it.

Chloe's arm was shaking when she handed the tool to him. He had seem to notice it becausenext thing she knew, his hand engulfed hers warmly. "Chloe..." he spoke quietly, waiting for her to look at him. "Is the blood too much for you?"

She exhaled shortly, her eyes burning. "I wish..." she replied weakly.

Emil watched her for a moment. "I see." he eventually said as his hand loosened around her and took the clamps, continuing the surgery. "You and Mr. Queen are close, am I right?" he asked after a few seconds.

Chloe swallowed nervously before answering. "I think..." she replied, unsure.

There was a faint chuckle. "Think?" he repeated. "I didn't realize it sooner but it's quite obvious now." he didn't expand on his words. "Don't worry Chloe, he's going to make it... if..."

"If?" her head jerked up worriedly. "What is it?" she pressed when he didn't answer right away.

Emil titled his head from side to side. "He had lost a lot of blood before arriving here and there is more flowing out during the operation..." he explained professionally. "He is going to need a blood transfusion."

Her silence brought him to look at her, the look of panic in her eyes made his own widen. "Oh, I didn't... He still has a few hours, Chloe don't panic on me now I need you to finish this."

"I can't lose him..."

"You won't. We'll send Bart out to find a compatible donor." Emil reassured.

"No, no!" Chloe stopped him. "I can do it, I'm O negative, I'm universal."

"Oh, that's good." He nodded. "Wait," Emil stopped her from moving away. "Like I said he still has time. You'll give him your blood when the surgery's over. He'll be back on his feet in no time then."

* * *

_**November** **5th** **2008.** **10:59** **PM UTC-6.** **Minst Hotel** **, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Martin Keamy made a face as he rubbed the injury on his cheek, coming up with blood on his hand. "Oh that bitch! They had back up, of course they had one." he mumbled as he got to his feet, looking down around him he saw his men coming out of their daze, cursing the little red devil working for Queen.

"Aahh... fuck it!"

Keamy smirked as his eyes fell on Regan's figure laying on the ground, a superficial wound in his thigh. The man pressed his hands on it and moaned in pain before glaring up at the mercenary.

"Why didn't you do anything? You let him shoot me!"

"I just thought you deserved that much."

"What the hell, Keamy? You think you can play me?" Regan raged.

The other man walked purposely towards him before grabbing his neck, pulling him up with the sheer strength of one arm. Regan coughed and struggled against his gripbut Keamy kept glaring."If I were you I'd be very careful right now, Matthews. You are in no position to give me orders anymore."

"There will be consequences!" Regan croaked, his hands trying vainly to free himself.

Keamy smirked and raised his voice so his men could hear him. "You heard that? He's one hell of a son of a bitch to talk about consequences!" The ungraceful laughter of the mercenary broke the icy atmosphere. "Or did you just forget about Miss Mercer, Mr. Matthews?"

Regan's eyes widened. "You.. you didn't kill her?"

"Imagine my surprise when Lex Luthor's right hand called me, putting a price on the head of the woman whom his employer clearly told me was off limits!"

"Oh god... she knows it's me!" Regan's eyes were suddenly filled with fear. _If Lex heard about that..._

"Worse." Keamy replied. "She thinks Luthor wants her dead. I'm just dying to see what it will be like for you when he learns Mercer is going after him because of that. Who do you think will be first on his shitlist?"

"You... you were the one with the gun!"

"Oh please!" The mercenary chuckled. "He will know I just played along to humor you, I would never have shot Mercer. Lex gave me strict orders and I always follow them!"

"Fuck you Keamy!" Regan wriggled and the other man's hand let him fallon the ground. "You will never know the identities of the Justice League!"

Once again, the other men laughed. "You're so blinded by your fear and anger you don't even see that tonight's events gave me a free pass for everything." Keamy grinned at the expression on his face. "You don't think I understood Queen is linked to the Green Arrow's team after tonight? Hell he might even be the Great Archer himself, he's got the physique and the resources after all. Plus I know he's helped by a little blonde woman named Chloe Sullivan whose friends' identities surely will let me know more than I ever dreamed of." At the shocked looked on the other man's face, Keamy's eyes narrowed. "Never underestimate a mercenary."

After a moment of tense silence, he added. "I guess I'll see you when Lex wakes up from his surgery then? It promises to be... interesting to say the least!"

"He can't know..."

"Oh, he will. I'll tell him myself trust me on that." Keamy sent him one last look of disdain before leaving.

"He can't know... he won't know!" Regan shouted after them.

* * *

_**November** **6th** **2008.** **01:41** **AM UTC-6.** **Hamilton Residence, MacArthur Avenue** **, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Two and a half hour later, they were still working on Oliver's kidney. Emil was having issues making sure the organ to be removed was completely isolated from the rest of the system. They both knew that if he made a mistake and pulled it out now he could section an artery, Oliver would bleed out in minutes without any of them being able to do anything about it.

Grabbing a piece of gaze, Emil dried the sweat on his forehead and blinked tiredly. "I'm losing my focus." he confided. "Talk to me or I might end up doing something fatal."

Chloe had witnessed and felt the same thing but despite the tiredness, she still felt restless. "Why don't you talk?" she shot back.

The doctor kept his eyes on his work. "I've lived alone for a few years already, I'm afraid making conversation is an art I've forgotten all about."

"No... I mean you haven't asked me any questions about what happened to Oliver or who I am or why I know one of your old friends from Syria." Chloe explained her thoughts. "You know, don't you?"

Emil stopped his movement and looked at her before shaking his head and going back to his task. "Almost three years ago, I had just gotten out of a late chemotherapy of my wife's... She had a brain tumor that had quickly evolved into a deep rooted cancer." he said, to Chloe it was clear it was the beginning of a long story.

"I'm sorry." she added softly.

He acknowledged her words by stopping his work for a second before continuing all the while explaining his adventure. "She was already at terminal stage that night, you know it was the dry chilly bite of January that made it hard for her. Somehow, the chemo always made her sensitive to temperature, that made it hell for her. I was helping her walk towards the car, she could barely stand up by herself anymore but Sonia insisted to stay at home until the end." His eyebrows furrowed for a second. Chloe could not see it through his glassesbut she knew he was feeling the pain all over again.

_-Flashback-_

" _Here you go." Emil Hamilton kissed his wife's forehead as he backed out of the car to get to his seat besides his wife, Sonia._

_ He didn't hear her scream at him to turn around when a hard metallic piece connected with the back of his head. The blow didn't knock him out but he was shocked and groggy whentwo hands forced him face-down on the hood of his car before searching for his wallet and anything of value. "What are you-?" _

" _Shut up, dickhead!" the mugger shouted to him._

_The sound of hard slaps filled Emil's ears. His eyes found another man hitting his wife as hard as he could while she screamed for mercy. "Where's the money, bitch?!" he yelled._

" _Please, no!"_

" _Shut up!"_

" _Leave her alone!" Emil begged hating himself for being unable to fight off the other guy. He'd never been a very muscular manbut today he regretted that fact. "I'll give you everythingyou want but please,leave her alone!"_

" _You hear that, Brian?" The man behind him spoke. "I think I'll make him my bitch!"_

" _And I'll see what the slut's packin'!" Brian replied, wicked laughter filled his tone._

" _Please!" Sonia sobbed, unable to do anything she did try to resist to her attacker's assault vainly._

_Emil truly thought it was the end when out of nowhere, an arrow flew, sizzling the air before embedding itself deep into the shoulder of his wife's mugger._

_-End of flashback-_

Chloe's eyes widened. "You've met the Green Arrow?" she asked in disbelief.

The doctor's smile said it all. "He saved us that night." then a sour expression took over. "But the man I met then seemed... off. He was taking out his anger on the first guy when the one behind me threw me back before taking out a blade." Emil's hand put his clamps on the table and pointed to a deep scar close to Oliver's shoulder.

Realization dawned in Chloe's eyes as he continued to talk. "He was so caught up in the beating he didn't see him approach." Showing the scar clinically, he talked again. "The blade went through his scapula and out the other way."

"When did you know Oliver was him?" Chloe asked quietly.

"Tonight." Emil replied. "When I was preparing him for surgery before you came in, I saw the scar, I immediately understood and suddenly everything that was happening made sense."

"But.. it could have been a coincidence."

"I sewed his scar myself." The physicist pressed. "Right after behind stabbed, I put down the attacker and brought him to my home. He was calmer when I treated himbut it was evident he wasn't himself."

Chloe sighed softly."This isn't what you think." she interrupted calmly. "Oliver was having issues with the vulnerability that comes with being human. He wanted to be invincible to do more so he began using an experimental drug which could heal every kind of wound extremely fast." Her eyes fall back on the hero's face. "I guess he'd been running out of it that night."

There was silence for a long moment and Emil seemed to hesitate. "Is he... still using?" he finally daredto asked.

"No, I can tell you he's not." Chloe fiercely denied. "Hasn't been for years. Plus the drug had been destroyed."

"It might be for the best." Emil agreed before going back to his work. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I owe him too much to do that."

She smiled softly. "Another reason why I chose you."

Emil nodded. Another ten minutes went by, spent in silence. There was only the sound of Emil's tool working inside Oliver's wound as their companion. In a way it was satisfying, there had been no major problem yet and Chloe hoped with everything she had that there wouldn't be.

Eventually, Emil's eyes grew tired again. He blinked and looked around him to exercise them. He found the clock pinned on the wall. "Chloe." he spoke.

"Yeah?" she immediately replied, her heart beating faster of its own accord.

"Now might be a good time to start his blood transfusion." he announced. "Will you be able to sting yourself?"

"That won't be a problem." the blonde replied, already moving towards the needles and small sterilized bags waiting to be filled with her blood before going into Oliver's body.

"Good, do it now I'll manage to finish it alone." Emil's tone went medical once again. "I'm almost done anyway.

Soon they would know if Oliver Queen was safe. Five hours of surgery, almost, that had to count for something, something good. The last sprint was in sight, Chloe knew that. She was out of breath and strengthbut her mind wouldn't let her body give up. Not for him.

* * *

_**November** **7th** **2008\. 03:05** **AM UTC-6.** ** _ **Hamilton Residence, MacArthur Avenue** **, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.**_** _

Hours later Chloe sat quietly at Oliver's side who lay still asleep on a large bed inside Emil Hamilton's apartment. The doctor had been able to complete the procedure without any noticeable issues and while Chloe knew thatshe would be relieved only when Oliver woke up, there was hope.

It was late, the streets were silent outside and her eyes were heavy but sleeping was the last thing on her mind. The anesthetics were beginning to fade in Oliver's blood, it wouldn't be long until he woke up, finally.

Her heart skipped a beat when his breath itched. She stood immobile, watching him as his body began to stretch slowly. He mumbled inherent things for a moment and it wasn't long beforehis eyelids opened.

Chloe moved closer to him she he could see her face. She smiled, her fears vanishing the moment his eyes focused on her. "Hey," she whispered softly.

There was a hint of relief and joy in his eyes when he smiled back at her silently and raised a hand to touch her face. "Ouch!" he grimaced and stopped midair, he noticed the IV drip planted in his hand. "That hurts!" he whined.

Her face split into a bright grin. "Aww you poor baby!" she teased, laughter filling her voice.

"No, I just hate needles, that's all." His words of protest were emphasized by his pout before he gave her a groggy grin.

The joy dimmed a little in her. "You just went through massive surgery, Oliver." she frowned, leaning towards him as if to tell him a secret. "You lost a kidney..." she murmured, her breath now shaky.

It was his turn to frown, his eyes spotted the patch on his side. "Wow," he breathed, his hand hovering over the incision.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, holding her breath.

His attention snapped back to her. "No, just my hand." he shook his head. "And it doesn't even hurt, it just... feels weird you know." Failing to see the frown leaving her face he gave her his best charming smile, hoping to ease her fears. "I'm alright, almost feeling like taking a walk!"

"Oliver!"

"Okay, okay!" he chuckled. "So maybe I'm not up for a walk but it doesn't change the fact that I'm feeling... good, actually." There was a hint of surprise in his voice. "That's a good thing right?"

"Yeah, I guess." she breathed, the band around her chest loosening. He was feeling alright, that was what mattered.

"Thank you."

She blinked, unable to process the words. "... what?"

He smiled softly, his hand cupping her face. "Thank you for saving my life, Chloe." he repeated. "I don't know how you did it and I'm sure it was like hell but you did it and..." he gestured to himself. "I'm here alive so, I know I owe you."

Her mouth parted in shock. "Don't thank me Oliver, it was my fault, It shouldn't have happened." she protested, already a lump appearing in her throat.

Oliver's expression took a more serious turn, he turned her face so they were at eye-level. "I took that bullet willingly, Chloe." he affirmed quietly. "And if I had to, I would do it all over again."

She shook her head, her eyes filling with unshed tears as she pulled away. "You could have died, Ollie!"

His hand grabbed her wrist at the last moment. "And I would have died happily knowing I saved you. Chloe, come on!" he tugged her closer gently.

She didn't even tried to stop the tears flowing down her cheeks. "Did you even think about us, Ollie? What would I have done if you had died on me tonight? What about the guys? Did you think about that?!" Her voice raised with each words, fueled by an anger beyond her control.

Oliver looked taken aback for a moment, yet he didn't let go of her. "And what if it was the other way around? What about what I would do if you ever died? Do you really think _I_ could handle it, knowing..." he closed his eyes, taking a few breaths to calm himself. He was talking about _ifs_ , it didn't happen but the fear of losing her was real. "I care about you, Chlo." he swallowed hard, maintaining eye contact with her. "More than you know."

It was her turn to be surprised. Her eyes widened and she was out of breathfor a moment as she took in his words, all her anger disappeared, replaced with other, better emotions. "I care about you too, Ollie."

None of them knew how long they stared at each other, it could have been seconds, it could have been hours. Yet, they knew when he pulled her close to him, her hands falling on his upper chest to take her weight off his wound. It was her lips that touched his, her allowing him to deepening their kiss and she put all her relief and feelings for Oliver into that demonstration of their affection for one another.

It was too soon when they broke apart, pleading for air. Already her mind registered the fact that she'd just experienced the most intense moment of her life so far, it was mind-blowing, literally, how that kiss overshadowed all of her fears and feelings of self-protection while giving her a glimpse and a promise of a brighter, happier future. It was hers to take, and she couldn't refuse.

"Be with me, Chloe." he said, his breathing still uneven when he mated their foreheads together. "Be with me and I promise you I'll never let youdown," he vowed. "I'll be there for you every second of everyday just as long as you want me, I-"

Her lips connecting to his cut off his words, he immediately responded, almost losing himself in the kiss when she pulled back, smiling brightly at him. They were silent for a moment, watching each other, bumping noses, sharing kisses and relishing in the warmth that settled between them and in their chests the moment they admitted how they felt about each other.

"So... I take it that's a yes, right?" he asked, humor in his eyes. "I mean don't blame me for wanting confirmation because-"

"Shut up!" she laughed, shaking her head affectionately. "The painkillers really messed up your brain, maybe you should lie down and take a nap, my poor wounded hero." her tone was teasing as she let her hand bury itself into his hair, scraping his scalp.

Oliver grumbled. "I'll show you something messed up!" he replied, leaning forward once again intending to capture her lips.

A loud throat being cleared prevented him from doing his heart's wishes. "I'm afraid you'll have to show her later." A voice interrupted from the entryway.

Both young people turned around to see Emil Hamilton standing a few feet in front of us. He looked mildly uncomfortable as he finished drying off his hands with a towel. "Chloe? Sorry to interrupt but you wanted me to tell you when..."

"Oh right!" the blonde woman seemed to have forgotten about it, she turned back to Oliver, apology clear in her eyes. "I... Um, I have to go for a moment, I gotta close Isis and secure the servers before anything happens." She reluctantly back away from Oliver and stood up slowly.

"Oh, wait right there Chloe!" Oliver sat up a little straighter when he noticed she was out of reach. "Isis? This isn't safe anymore, Chloe. With Keamy and all... who knows what could happen?"

"I know." she answered softly. "This is why I have to go. Someone has to secure the server or our communications could be monitored by someone else." Her explanation was simplebut he didn't like the soundof her going alone. She seemed to have sensed his thought because her next words were the only ones that rationalized his fears, just slightly thought. "I'll be quick, just in and out it'll only take five minutes, I'll be fine." she finished, setting her hand in his, squeezing it lightly.

Oliver sighed. "Be careful." he told her sternly.

She caught his gaze and grinned. "Always." One last look at him and she was on her way out, nodding to Emil before disappearing.

Both men watched her leave before the doctor readjusted his glasses and looked back at the recovering hero. "That's quite an exceptional woman you've found for yourself, Mr. Queen."

Only then Oliver truly noticed the other man, almost feeling guilty for not doing that sooner.. "Quite isn't even the half of it." he declared, the grin on his face brighter than ever before. "Hey... I know you, right?" his eyes squinted to have a better look at the man. "You're-"

"The man you saved with his wife behind the hospital of Metropolis two years ago?" The doctor filled in for him. "Your eyes do not deceive you, that's me."

Oliver looked thoughtful for a moment. "Emil Hamilton!" he declared in a victorious tone.

The other man was a bit taken aback. "So you do remember my name." he said in wonder.

"Damn," Oliver shook his head at the twist of fate. "Small world!"

They laughed quietly. "That it is." Emil agreed. "I also think you should know I learned of our nightly activities earlier that night when one of your friends, uh... Bart, dropped you off."

"Ah, yeah I kinda figured it out when you didn't ask about anything when Chloe was there and she looked pretty relaxed, so..."

"You do have a lot oftrust in her, don't you?" Emil inquired, his own curiosity surprising him.

"I do." Oliver confirmed without hesitation. "I trust her and my team with my life. Plus, there's a reason I'm in your apartment right now, she chose you."

Emil nodded. "It sounded like it when she told me why you were rushed here."

"Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Don't be." the doctor stopped him. "I'll admit it was unusual but the action was welcome and... I'm glad I managed to fix you up." There was a hint of uncertainty on his face. "You do know about your condition, right?"

Oliver raised his eyebrows. "That I'm down a kidney? Yes I do." He bit his tongue lightly, as if pondering his next words. "That won't change anything, right?"

Emil walked to Oliver's side and inspected his injury. "Just that you will need to take extra-care of your last kidney. That means at least some kevlar padding over it when you'll be free to hit the streets again."

Oliver exhaled gratefully. "Thanks Doc." he instantly relaxed. "Being Green Arrow, it means a lot to me. I would hate to stay on the sidelines because of an injury."

"I'm not worried about you in any way." the other man looked at his notes. "If anything I'm surprised you're recovering so well. It's only been a few hours and yet, you look like you could almost go back to your job tomorrow. I said almost." he added quickly when he saw the look the hero was giving him.

Oliver's look of hope died the same second. "You're a tough call, doc!"

"And you might end up being my worst patient ever." Emil shook his head, amused.

"Speaking of..." Oliver looked up, a glint in his eyes. "Feel like having more patients like me on a regular basis?"

* * *

_**November** **7th** **2008\. 04:55** **AM UTC-6.** **Isis foundation** **, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Lines of code washed down at an impressive speed in front of Chloe as the stared at the screens before her while her fingers flew over the keyboard in an inhuman fashion. Oliver would be worried if he saw her right now, she thought. It was a necessary evil, thought. She had just finished moving the entire database of the League over to a secure server at an unknown place.

That way, if Keamy, Lex or Regan ever got their hands on her computers at Isis, they wouldn't be able to find any data the team had. It was still going to cost Oliver a lot of money on the server's rentbut she figured it was a temporary solution until they managed to find a better, more secure place to house their activities. A headquarter would be great and she'd been thinking about that a lot lately.

The transfer was complete and every information involving the team wiped out from her disks when she heard the door squeak open down by the hall. Reflexively, she locked her computer and moved towards her desk's drawer to grab her taser, hiding it behind her.

Hoping that it wasn't Keamy seeking payback after their last encounter, she walked quietly towards the sounds of footsteps. "Who's there?" she called out. "Anyone? Show yourself!"

"Chloe?"

The sound of that voice triggered something in her brain. There was an intense pain flashing in her head for a second before vanishing just as quickly as it came. Her hand pushed the only doors separating herself from the visitor open. Her eyes widened and she swore she was greeted by two blood-red orbs floating in the dark.

"Davis?"


	9. Caught In The Net

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recap: Lex knows about the JLA and Clark, Davis Bloome is in town, Tess Mercer is CEO of Luthorcorp and an elusive mercenary, Martin Keamy, chases after the team. Despite Chloe hiding her Brainiac infection from everyone and Oliver dealing with the consequences of a dark secret coming back at him, the two grow close.
> 
> Oliver gets hurt during a mission, Chloe calls Emil Hamilton to fix him up. Regan Matthews makes a deal with Martin Keamy involving Tess. The mercenary has other orders though and tricks Regan into getting more info about the JLA. Shortly after Chloe and Oliver admit their attraction to each other, she's visited by Davis Bloome.

 

 

 

_'A lot of women have used me for my money, I never expected it coming from you.' - Oliver Queen to Chloe Sullivan, Season 9, Episode 14: “Conspiracy”_

* * *

_**November 10** **th** **2008\. 09:14 AM UTC-6. Isis Foundation, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Oliver locked his car and pocketed his keys before walking towards the Isis Foundation, a slight bounce to his steps. It had been three days since the gala, three days since he'd gotten shot and had his kidney removed and yet, he was back to one hundred percent.

Emil himself had been surprised and possibly suspicious of his recovery, the man probably had his theories about that but hadn't voiced them yet. Oliver knew the other man was a Cartesian mind and wanted to find evidence before coming clear to him on such an important topicbut that wasn't the thing on his mind right now.

Chloe was. A few hours after leaving Oliver's side at Emil's apartment she'd called, telling him she couldn't get back and probably wouldn't of the entire week end. He had been disappointed, more than ever for as long as he could remember, but to her defense, she'd sounded genuinely sorry and Oliver couldn't blame her for wanting to protect the team. Moving an entire database and every trace of their work to a secure place on the Internet was no easy task and took time so, he understood.

Which was why he was both nervous and excited at the idea of being reunited with her again for the first time since they admitted their attraction towards each other after his surgery. Oliver knew he was grinning like an idiot as he typed the password to unlock the Foundation's doors and even through there was no reason to be happy especially after knowing Keamy was targeting them and could be spying on him right now, he couldn't help it.

Chloe had this effect on him and the young man shook his head at himself for being so impatient. He'd never felt like this before, ever. His heart beat a little faster with every step he took to climb the stairs that would ultimately lead him to her.

His throat was dry as his hand found the handle of the only obstacle that remained between them, he swallowed hard and summoned himself for his silliness. He exhaled shortly, almost letting out a laugh despite himself. He couldn't help himself, he felt so light, so happy.

He pushed open the door, a huge grin on his face, fully expecting to find Chloe absorbed in her work just like she always was. The sight that greeted him, however, was something he hadn't even imagined. Oliver's happiness died onspot, something broke in his chest as shock overcame him.

There, standing in the middle of the room, stood Chloe caught in an obviously passionate kiss with another man, a dark-haired one. _Bloome_ , Oliver's blood boiled. The couple hadn't heard him come in, they didn't even stop, somehow that made it worse on the billionaire. A myriad of emotions went through him at the moment. Shock, hurt, jealousy, anger, rage... _betrayal_.

Seeing Chloe kiss another man had almost destroyed him but when he noticed her lips twitch in a smile, his stomach turned. It was too much. Reacting with his emotions, he launched himself towards the couple, grabbing the other man and hurling him as far away from Chloe as he could. Davis crashed into the wall at the other end of the room, literally making a hole in it.

“Oh my god!” she exclaimed.

Oliver turned towards her. “What the hell is that?!” he yelled.

Chloe jumped, her eyes immediately taking in the rage on his face. “Oliver?” She looked confused for a second. “I...”

His jaw tightened. “So when you called me the other day, you were with him?!” he pointed a finger to the other man still recovering on the ground. “You made me believe there was something between us and then you lied to me, _you betrayed me!_ ”

She gasped as she noticed his eyes shining, the hurt and anger that mixed together in a dangerous fuel. Still, she was unable to voice her actions.

“What? He's a good fuck? That's it, that the reason?” he kept gesturing wildly and screaming, Chloe was honestly scared of what he could do.

She snapped out of her state of shock when Davis stood up, unscathed, and began to walk up purposely towards Oliver. The two men stared each other down, she knew it could get ugly. “Stop!” she yelled, interposing herself between them before they could do anything.

Davis immediately calmed down at her presencebut Oliver didn't, quite the contrary. He was breathing harshly, looking like he wanted to kill his rival and Chloe knew that he wasn't kidding. Still, she couldn't bring herself to look away from him, she felt confused, scared and revolted at herself for being the source of the obvious pain he was going through right now.

After several long moment of silence, Oliver huffed. The only thing that kept him from breaking the other man's jaw was the look of pleading Chloe sent him. He was stunned and unable to understand why she was acting like thisbut he couldn't ignore the scorching pain in his chest anymore.

“Obviously I'm not welcome here anymore.” he seethed at Davis and sent a dirty look to the woman who'd caused this situation before storming out, closing the door with a loud bang that shattered its tinted window as if meaning everything was ruined.

She stood, aghast, for a long moment looking at the broken door, feeling like two parts of herself conflicted and warred with each other for divergent interest until one of them took the advantage and a name came out ofthroat.

“Oliver!” she shouted, running after him.

He was still walking down the stairs when she caught up with him, he didn't stop, didn't even look at her anymore.

“Oliver please, wait! I beg you!” She grabbed his arm gently to stop him. “Ollie!”

At that, he shook his arm out of her grasp in disgust, glancing back at her. “Don't call me that! You-” he closed his eyes, looking away. “Just don't.” he said, afraid he might collapse if she said his nickname again.

“I'm so sorry, I don't understand... I just...”

“You don't understand?” he laughed mirthlessly. “You know Chloe I've met a lot of people who screwed me over in my life and I never thought you would be one of them... I never thought you could be such a _bitch!_ ” He spat out, looking her in the eye.

She looked hurt, tears made their way to her eyes and he didn't know if that should comfort himbut it actually made him feel worse. She looked like she was about to say something when another voice interrupted them.

“Chloe!” It was Davis calling her from the other room, he hadn't moved and sounded almost scared.

Oliver didn't dwell on it, instead he took it as his cue. “Looks like Prince Charming needs you, don't keep him waiting!” he said cynically before rushing out without looking back.

Chloe stayed frozen and hurt at his words, self-loathing began to boil up in herself but before it could get any further, Davis called her name again. Suddenly, her emotions were gone and she walked back towards him, a blank look on her face.

* * *

Oliver walked up to his car like an automaton, he couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Chloe had clearly turned on him. He had truly believed they had a shot of something unique together and then he'd learned the truth, realized she'd never planned on being with him. Who could blame her? He was so messed up.

But then why did she lie to him? Why?! That didn't make sense. Had she toyed with him just for fun? Could she be so cruel? That didn't match with the Chloe he knew, the Chloe he liked and wanted a chance with. That woman was gone, he needed to accept that no matter how much it stung.

The ringtone of his cellphone surprised him. His mind still fueled by his anger, he fished the phone out of his pocket and brought it to his ear without checking the caller's ID. “What?!” he snapped.

The other end was silent for a moment. “... Oliver? Is everything okay?” came the voice uncertainly.

“Oh, Clark.” Oliver said, pinching the bridge of his nose to try to contain himself. The poor man had nothing to do with this. “I'm sorry, I just... I think I just started one of my worst days ever.”

“I think it's about to get worse.”

 _Can it?_ Oliver thought. “I'm listening.”

“I really think you should come, this isn't really something we can talk over the phone.” Clark told him.

Despite everything, Oliver's interest was picked and he desperately needed something to busy his mind that had no ties with Chloe or Davis. “What is it?” he insisted.

“I'm at Cadmus Labs, the Daily Planet just assigned me on a case of several murders. I think Lex did it.” the alien explained.

“What?” Oliver asked in shock. “I'm... I'll be there in ten minutes.” Not letting his friend say anything else, he hung up and hopped into his car. The engine roared to life and sped the car away, barely avoidingcollision with another driver. Honks sounded loudly after him as he gave no regard to the law and kept pressing the pedal harder to make him forget his problems.

He had something to do and the sooner he'd be at Cadmus Labs, the sooner he could forget about Chloe's betrayal.

* * *

_**November 10** **th** **2008\. 09:47 AM UTC-6. Cadmus Labs, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Clark looked back as he heard a sports car making an abrupt halt, he frowned as Oliver got out and walked up towards him.

“Are you sure you're alright, Oliver?” he questioned, noticing the other man's attitude.

“Yeah I'm peachy Clark.” the blond retorted dryly. “What have you got?”

The alien's frown deepenedbut he didn't comment, instead he led his friend closer to the group of journalists and policemen stationed in front of Cadmus Labs' main tower. “Lois is trying to get answers from a police agent, we don't know much yet.” Clark admitted. “Just that there are several dead bodies all dressed up in medical uniforms.”

“It's a lab, Lex's lab so it could have been an accident.” Oliver dismissed. “Tell me you didn't call me just because of this?”

Clark's brows furrowed as he looked at Oliver. “I'm sorry the deaths of the people in this lab aren't worthy of your attention, I didn't realize you had more important business.” he replied slowly, blandly.

The other man sighed and brought a hand to his face. That made Clark look at him in concern, he put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Honestly Oliver, Is everything okay? I would understand if you weren't up to it, you just went through massive surgery. It's-”

“I'm okay.” Oliver assured, looking up at his friend. “It's okay... I need this, I do.”

They looked at each other quietly until Clark nodded. “Yes um.. sorry for asking... I was just worried.”

“No big deal.” Oliver was quick to jump subjects. “So you said over the phone that Lex could have done it.”

“One of the things we were told was that the bodies were found by a cleaning maid in an underground level, apparently the doors had been left open.” The alien explained. “It seems like there was some kind of clandestine operating room down there which is odd since Cadmus Labs is only supposed to experience on vegetals.”

“Like I said, Lex's lab.” Oliver replied before thinking for a moment. “It could have been where Lex had been hiding all this time.”

“Okay so I just finished talking that officer into giving me more info and you're never gonna believe this!” Another voice invited itself, both men turned around to see Lois approaching until she finally noticed Oliver standing there. “Oh, hey stranger it's been a while.” she grinned.

“Sorry Lois, I've been busy.” Oliver mumbled.

“Wow looks like you're in a pissy mood, something wrong?” the reported inquired with her usual bluntness.

“Lois!” Clark warned earning himself an innocent look sent his way.

“What? I'm just stating facts!” she continued. “Did Chloe send you here?”

Oliver's jaw clenched at the name. “No she did not.” he replied darkly surprising both of his friends. “Why don't you tell me what you know so I can get the fuck out of here already?” he added heatedly, his anger renewed unknowingly by Lois's words.

“Easy there Hulk, don't get green on me!” she kept pushing and usually it would have amused him but not today. “Jesus Oliver! Are you sure you're alright?” Lois noticed the vein at his neck that had began twitching, concern filling her tone.

He felt sick of hearing this question already. “I'm fine!” he snapped. “Tell me what I need to know, right now Lois!”

Clark and Lois shared a look. “There are twelve dead bodies including guards and surgeons. They were all strangled to death except one who was shot in the head. His name is Edward Groll he used to work for Lex on his shady projects.” Lois explained, her tone clearly implying she was unhappy with Oliver at the moment. “There, is that good enough for your highness?”

“Perfect!” Oliver shot back before walking away, pissed. It wasn't long before the sound of hurried footsteps followed him.

“Smallville!” he heard Lois call angrily and he instantly knew Clark was following him.

“Lex has executed any witnesses that could have confronted him, he wants a fresh start. I'll take care of this, you stay on the beast case and let Lois out of the loop!” The billionaire ordered as he arrived at his car.

Turning around he met face to face with the other man, rolling his eyes at the look on his face. “You'll have to apologize to her.” the ex-farmboy crossed his arms over his chest. “You should-”

“Look, enough with your moralizing bullshit! I don't have time for that, I'll take care of Lex and when it's done I'll see what you think I should or should not do, until then... stay out of my way!” Oliver's temper got the best of him, he was too angry for regretting his words yet as he got his car and sped away the same way he arrived under Clark's eyes.

Lois soon joined her partner who was still looking at the last spot Oliver was seen. “Come on.” she grabbed his arm and tried to pull him towards the crime scene. “Leave him be deal with whatever's got him so spooked, he can be such a prick sometimes!” she said irritatedly.

Clark, however, was still frowning. “I've never seen him like this, Lois.” he looked down at her. “I think he's got problems. It has to be something important.”

Lois rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Smallville, you're looking too much into things here. Come on enough talking about that douchebag, we got a case to solve!”

* * *

_**November 11** **th** **2008\. 12:35 AM UTC-6. Groll Family House, Granville, Kansas, USA.** _

It was way past midnight when Oliver slipped inside Edward Groll's house dressed as the Green Arrow. His mood was even worse now, he had had the whole day to rehash what happened between him and Chloe, his argument with Clark and Lois, plus adding on the top of that a long day at Queen Industries and it gave a very pissed offarcher.

But this wasn't about him, Oliver summoned himself. Right now, it was about finding out why Lex had needed Groll and why he'd given him a last treatment of favor by shooting him dead instead of strangulation.

The house was quietbut Oliver knew it wasn't empty, there was Groll's wife and one of their daughters sleeping in their rooms. He needed to be extra cautious about not waking them up. The last thing he needed was to scare them especially since he wasn't keen on being gentle that night.

A quick patrol earlier had sent two thief to the hospital with a broken arm and ribs, none of whom really deserved what they gotbut they had been unfortunate enough to cross his way.

The Green Arrow walked silently on the wooden floor until he found the door of what was the home office. The desk was messy with papers laying there and even on the ground, carelessly. Edward Groll hadn't been a clean worker apparently. Oliver shrugged, _whatever to get the work done,_ he thought.

One paper though, caught his eye. He approached the desk and looked at what he first thought was a blueprint only to realize it was much more than that. There was the outline of a male human body with indications about microscopical robots being inserted under the skin. Under it, there was a handwritten note:

 

_PROMETHEUS SUIT_

_A sufficient quantity of nanites injected between the epidermis and the basement membrane could potentially make the subject an invulnerable being to virtually anything. The samples of alien DNA contained in the nanites would supposedly be the source of the appearance of superhuman abilities: enhanced strength, ~~developed speed~~ (spine broken), and heightened stamina. _

_The experimental nature of this experience makes this project unstable and to be treated with caution, tests are needed notably about the nanites's effects on human health and the consequences of skin tearing (implausible but a potential risk nonetheless)._

 

A light being turned on pulled Oliver out of his reading, he immediately rolled the paper and inserted it in a safe pocket before taking a few steps back as he heard someone walking up the corridor unsuspectingly.

The vigilante tensed as he crouched down and waited for the person to get closer. He didn't have to wait too long since a few seconds later he caught sight through the door left ajar of a fifty-something woman drying her tears with a tissue as she passed by the office down the stairs. He sighed both in relief and empathy.

It was Groll's wife who clearly couldn't sleep which was understandable considering she'd just lost her husband. Oliver felt bad however when he realized he hadn't exactly thought of the family when he learned of Edward Groll's death, it had been more of a way to catch Lex than to get justice for the scientists and his loved ones.

 _Lex will get what he deserves._ Oliver vowed as he slipped out the window before the woman could come up again and spot him. Edward Groll was another one of the many lives the Luthor dynasty had destroyed and he wouldn't let his own personal grudge against them stir him from his path.

* * *

_**November 11** **th** **2008\. 12:59 AM UTC-6. 532 Adams Court, Granville, Kansas, USA.** _

Now out of the house, Oliver cautiously closed the window without attracting any attention and climbed down the roof to land on the back lawn. His bike was hidden close-by, he straddled it and revved the engine to lead him down the road and back to his penthouse where he could study the documents safely.

A set of headlights flashed up in front of him, catching him off guard he noticed at the last moment a dark SUV driving up to block his path.

“Shit!”

Bending the bike dangerously on its left side, leaving his knee only inches above the asphalt, he barely managed to duck the vehicle. He took a shortcut on an neighbor's lawn and rushed down the main street before looking back. The SUV was on his tail and apparently gave everything it had to keep up with him.  _That wasn't good._

Oliver had a chance though, he was less likely to be slowed down by another car and decided to lead his pursuit towards another street where he could have the advantage. The chase lasted for long moments and the Green Arrow found himself unable to shake them off, the SUV's powerful engine always catching up with his speed but it wasn't until shots were fired that he began to ponder calling in Chloe for help no matter how bad he didn't want to.

Another bullet hit a mirror, surprising him. One glance back confirmed his suspicions, it was Martin Keamy's face that was poking out of the car's window, a submachine gun in his hands. Damn it! Oliver throttled his bike, pushing it into a corner, knowing he couldn't zigzag to escape the bullets or he'd lose ground.

Another blast flew up his head and he resigned himself to make contact. “Watchtower!” he called urgently, hoping she would be there.

After several long moments where he held his breath, a voice answered. “What is it Arrow?” Chloe sounded annoyed.

Oliver's jaw clenched but didn't comment, he had a much bigger problem at the moment. “I'm being chased by Keamy, I need an escape route ASAP!” he shouted so he could be heard over the yelling engine and the sound of gunshots.

At the other end of the line Chloe huffed. “What happened to keeping a low profile?” she jabbed but worked on pulling up a map of his location anyway.

The other blond's rage came back at full speed. “Keamy is a trained assassin, he knows all about discretion, Chloe!” he snapped. “Now are you going to guide me or what?!”

“You know what, Arrow? I don't have time for you.” Chloe declared. “Davis' shift is going to end soon and I'm gonna meet him then, you're just going to make me late.”

The hero couldn't believe his ears. “I'm sorry, what?” he asked dubiously. Surely he couldn't have heard her right.

“You've got plenty of ways to escape, you'll manage.”

“Wha...” Oliver's words failed him for a second. “Are you out of your mind?! Are you really considering leaving me there? Chloe?”

“Yes I do.” came her impatient reply.

Oliver arrived at a crossway at full speedbut his attention was on his coms. “Do you want my death, Chloe?” he demanded. “Chloe? Chloe!”

“Goodbye, Oliver.” The telltale sound of the communication being ended stunned him.

“Chloe! Ah!” An intense pain surged in his back forcing him to deviate his bike, he was heading straight for another car when the sound of his rear tire going off under Keamy's shots filled his ears.

The green motorcycle went up in the air, propelling him out of his seat. Oliver flew past the car at an impressive speed, his brain hadn't even registered everything that he was on the ground, rolling until he hit a tree.

He was still out of it when his blurry vision caught sight of the black SUV pulling over a few yards in front of him. Six men climbed out, each of them heavily equipped with deadly weapons. A bystander who had witnessed the accident also got out of his car to check on Oliver only to be mercilessly shot down by the mercenaries. He fell under a rain of metallic tears of death and the deafening detonation of each one of them.

“Go get me the body bag and the chains in the trunk.” It was Keamy's voice Oliver noticed as a large shape towered over him. “The Emerald Archer is ours!” he announced victorious, followed by the sound of his men cheering as they walked back to their vehicle to get their stuff.

Oliver was beginning to recover when Keamy forced him to roll on his belly, pulling his arms in his back and restraining him that way until his soldiers came back with the chains.

“Oh it couldn't have been more perfect!” The leader boasted. “I, finally, get my hands on the evasive Archer almost right under my doorstep and that was quite a fight you gave us!”

Keamy laughed as his prisoner struggled. “I hate to break it to you, poor freedom fighterbut it's over, you lost, I win!” He sounded so satisfied. “I do wonder though...” His hand grabbed the back of his hood. “Who is the man hidden beneath the mask? Queen? Or is he the one paying you?” Oliver felt the hood beginning to be pulled back, his hair hit by the wind and bite of the night until...

A loud whamming sound broke both men apart, Keamy was knocked off the Green Arrow's back by his surprise and the blast of the explosion. The hero and the mercenary readjusted themselves to look at where the blaze had taken place.

There, in the distance, flames danced with the wind upon the remaining pieces of the mercenaries' SUV, an immense column of dark smoke rising up in the sky. Keamy's soldiers of fortune discarded, blown up, in the whiff as they had just pulled out their hardware.

As surprised as he was, Oliver's adrenaline had kicked in a long while earlier and he used that to his advantage. Keamy was too astonished to see the blow coming, he was knocked out with a simple punch. The vigilante's breaths quickened, he had to leave before the mercenary woke up.

His eyes fell on a winking screen in the other man's pocket, pulling it out he realized it was a GPS beacon.

_'I, finally, get my hands on the evasive Archer almost right under my doorstep.'_

_Doorstep..._ That meant his hideout had to be close. He now had the way to find the place with the device in his hand and it might be his only shot at finding out what was the extent of the mercenary's ties with Lex.

But he had so little time...

Oliver struggled for a moment, he could be risking his life even more if he came up to the soldier's place now but would he ever have another shot at it?

The decision was made, he took off on foot towards the lion's den.

* * *

The door was steeled and heavybut the window was weak. It broke quickly and gave Oliver the opening he needed to slip inside the building. It was an old, obviously ramshackled building, something you would never look at twice.

The first floor was empty, bare of any feature save the iron stair case at the other end of the room. Even the ground tiles had been removed and the concrete broken, instead, there was dirt. Oliver moved forward and up the stairs stealthily. He fell on another door, wooden this time, it was locked. Sticking his ears to it, he listened for a long moment.

Nothing.

He was about to kick it open when a hand grabbed his feet from behind, making him crash face first again the door. Oliver groaned in pain and felt himself being grabbed and moved. Keamy came into view, he didn't look happy at all.

“You wanna come in?” The man pulled Oliver up effortlessly. “Come in!” he roared before tossing him back forcefully. The door broke against the hero's back and he hit the ground once more.

Martin Keamy came to grab again, his face a spectacle of madness. “You didn't kill my men but you know who did, tell me! Tell me now or you won't have your eyes anymore to see Luthor's face when I hand you over to him!” he barked.

Oliver wrapped his hands around the other man's wrists as he took several harsh breaths as all of the negative emotions he'd felt during the day washing over him, he figured he could channel them for something useful. “You chose the _wrong_ night to mess with me, buddy!” The metallic sound of his distorter filled the room as he ground every word through his teeth.

It took a considerable amount of strength on Oliver's end to take Keamy's hands off him and kick him awaybut he did it and quickly stood up only to barely escape a fast blow sent his way.

The archer responded in kind, leading Keamy's arm out of the way and wrapping his own around the other man's neck before kneeing him strongly in the abs. The mercenary doubled over in pain but didn't surrender.

A second later, Oliver was pushed back against the wall and suffered a severe counter-attack to his jaw, ripping a cry of pain out of him. Two more fists smashing into his stomach rendered him dizzy. He didn't see Keamy stepping back to grab a golf club and went to hit horizontally with it.

Fortunately, the Green Arrow ducked it at the last moment and moved to the other end of the room, looking around for something that could help him. He didn't count on the mercenary's long legs kicking him towards a large piece of furniture before hitting him with the club on the shoulder.

“Ow!” The pain was strong and forced Oliver down to one knee. He rose again, though, only to be hit a second time. This time, both of his knees hit the ground. He knew he was finished when Keamy lifted his weapon for the final blow, both men caught each other's gaze in defiance.

“Good nig-” A gunshot echoed, cutting the mercenary's words instantly. Keamy's eyes were wide as he looked down at the hole in his chest. Blood began gushing out of the wound be he didn't pay attention to that, instead, he turned around.

Standing in the doorway, the smoking gun still in his hand and pointed at them, was Regan.

“He will never know.” Regan said and Keamy seemed to understand the meaning of the words because he left Oliver's side to walk towards the new visitor dangerously, the club, discarded. The bullet that went through him didn't seem to phase him that much as he began to close in on Regan and seethed at him.

“Your boss won't get to end you... I'll kill you with my bare hands!”

Oliver, having a hard time standing up after his beating, limped towards the closest door. He winced as his hand turned the handle and sighed in relief when it turned out to be unlocked.

Three more gunshots came from the other room and he quickly closed the door after himself. His eyes widening when he came face to face with a gaged up redhead woman.

_Tess?_

A yell followed by another shot could be heard. That kicked Oliver out of his trance. He rushed at Tess's side and began to untie her. “I'm here to help,” he reassured. “I'm going to let you walk but you have to promise me you'll be silent and you won't try to fight me off, okay?”

When she nodded enthusiastically, he cut off the zip ties restraining her and helped her stand up. “You're gonna be able to walk by yourself?” he asked.

“Yes... I just... I'll make it work.” she rasped, obviously she'd been there for a while. How come no one had noticed she was gone? Not even Clark or Lois had talked about her disappearance. Oliver's mind wondered as he led her to the closest window and pulled it open.

Using the zip line of his bow as a rope, he wrapped it around one of her hands. “Hold it tight, I'll pull you down.” he said.

Tess climbed on the other side of the window with his help and nodded at him. “Thank you.” she whispered sincerely.

Her savior only nodded back and proceeded to move her down until her feet hit the ground. It was at that moment that a loud thud followed by the sound of wood cracking could be heard. Oliver decided to check what was going on there. He pulled the door open just a little.

It was enough to see Martin Keamy laying on the parquet, a large pool of blood under him. He was still alive, still reaching up at Regan who was looking down at him, determined. Oliver's hand instinctively went to pat for his crossbow behind him only to realize he'd lost it during his fight with the mercenary.

It was too late for anything when Regan aimed at the other man's head and shot without an ounce of hesitation. Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere, chilling the young hero's blood. His eyes widened when the murderer saw him and raised his gun in his direction, an insane, morbid expression on his face.

“Where is Tess Mercer?” he asked quietly.

Oliver chose not to answer and instead, run. He wasn't in shape to handle another fight tonight and Chloe had cut all communications from him. He was alone, hurt and hunted as several shots were fired probably after him when he jumped out the same window Tess escaped from.

When his feet met the pavement, his knees gave way and his whole body crashed.

* * *

_**November 11** **th** **2008\. 05:41 AM UTC-6. Isis Foundation, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Hours later _,_ Oliver, still dressed as his alter ego, was sitting down in the middle of Isis. Angrily waiting for Chloe to come back. His suit was torn, burnt and stained, his arms and legs were sprinkled of cuts and bruises and he was barely able to stand up anymore.

Exhausted yet lucky, Oliver realized that if it hadn't been for Emil's advice to wear a Kevlar vest to protect his kidney and other vital organs, he would have died tonight.

Not that he had anything to live for anymore, he thought disturbingly as his mind wandered towards a certain blonde who had turned on him and left him for dead. _How could she do that? How?!_


	10. Visiting The Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recap: Chloe's turned on Oliver because of Davis Bloome. Edward Groll's body is found which leads Oliver on Lex's trail. On the way, he's intercepted by Martin Keamy and his team. Forced to fight for his life, Oliver narrowly misses death as Keamy is shot dead by Regan Matthews while the hero finds out Tess is being held hostage and sets her free. He comes back to Isis for a confrontation with Chloe.

 

_'You see, I don't want to do good things, I want to do great things.' - Lex Luthor, Season 1, Episode 6: "Hourglass"_

* * *

__**November 11th** _ _**2008\. 06:00 AM UTC-6. Isis Foundation, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _ _

Oliver scratched his shoulder and winced. When his hand came into view, it had dried blood on it. He gritted his teeth to contain the pain still raging inside his wound and inhaled a deep breath by his nose as an attempt to calm himself.

He had been waiting for several long minutes in Isis, waiting for Chloe to show up. In fact, Oliver didn't know how he was going to react when he saw her walk through the door in front of him. He had had time to think things over and nothing made sense. He didn't know why but one thing Oliver was sure of was that Chloe Sullivan had changed... for the worst.

It only made him angrier as his mind went over the episode of the last twenty-four hours. When the day had started, he'd been content, happy even. Look at how quickly things were changing, the sun hadn't even risen yet and here he was; At Isis, waiting for Chloe to come back to give her a piece of his mind to have let him fend for himself that night, he could have _died_.

His Green Arrow attire was wasted, a direct consequence of his fight with Keamybut she was partly responsible too. Sure, Oliver hadn't exactly let her know he was going to investigate Edward Groll's death that nightbut it wasn't exactly like he and Chloe were on the best of terms. Besides, the young man wasn't even sure Chloe knew about the recent development of Lex's case.

_No_ , she was too busy fooling around with Bloome to even care about that. Oliver's jaw tightened and he let out a growl sensibly close to a primal sense of wrath. His blood boiled as he thought about the other man.

_Davis Bloome, that fucking piece of sh-_

A sudden flash of light blinded him for a moment as wind flew all over him, he raised a hand over his eyes and cried out as an invisible pressure pushed at his eardrums. He didn't know how long it lasted but it was already too long for him and his battered body and he fell on the ground right as the light died out.

Groaning in pain and breathing harshly, Oliver looked up only to have his breath taken away. Stunned by the sight in front of him, he couldn't do anything but stare and wonder what kind of trick the universe was playing on him.

Oliver Queen had seen strange things in his life, things that most people would never ever dream of, but this, this was probably the most... unexplainable thing he had witnessed in his life.

In front of him stood another man, dressed in a business suit. He watched Oliver silently and looked slightly surprised himself judging by the way he was blinking down at him. Eventually, he held out a hand in a calming gesture, afraid that the man on the ground would freak out.

"I can explain." he said quietly.

That voice sounded all too familiar to Oliver and his eyes were wide when he rose to his knees with difficulty. "You..." he struggled for a moment to find his voice that seemed to have fled him in his stunning trance. "You're..." Oliver whispered in awe.

The other man swallowed nervously and nodded. "I am."

The sound of keys being inserted into the lock of Isis's door shook them out of their trance. They both looked at the door in surprise before the man who came from the light looked back at Oliver and pursed his lips.

"Sorry about that." he told him.

Oliver's head whipped towards him. "Wha-" A fist slamming into the side of his face sent him flying back on the floor. He fell soundlessly, out.

The other man winced and rubbed his fist but didn't say anything. He quickly hid Oliver's body as his heart began to pound loudly in his chest, he kept looking at the door frenetically before he managed to drag Oliver into the room Chloe used for her watchtower role. Grabbing the remote, the man pressed a button and the bookcase slid back in place, sealing Oliver into the small room right as the main door flew open.

Chloe stopped in her track, a flash of surprise on her face as she took in the man in front of her. "Oliver?" she asked. "What are you doing here so early?"

Oliver Queen slid a shining ring back into his pocket quietly and let out a breath heavy of emotions. Feeling his eyes tearing up at the sight of her, he approached her on unsteady legs. Holding an arm out in front of him, his hand went to slid over her cheek gently, feeling her suddenly take a sharp breath in as he watched her for a moment.

"Chloe" he whispered as a sob left his throat.

She opened her mouth to say somethingbut her voice was muffled as his lips slid over hers, making her forget about the reasons he was behaving that way and why she couldn't think about him without having this sudden headache springing in her head every time. She gasped as his tongue touched and stroke hers and she responded in kind, feeling like she was finally finding back her passion into that kiss.

But soon, all to soon for her liking, Oliver withdrew, his eyes closed as his nose bumped into hers gently. A small smile, child of a mix of emotions she couldn't understand on his face. When his eyes opened, he found her staring at him with that same curiosity that would always have the name Chloe Sullivan in its definition as far as he was concerned.

He smiled wider and let out a shaky breath. "Are Davis's kisses as good as this?" he asked in a murmur.

A hint of confusion passed in her eyes before she blinked and remembered the other man. A feeling of honesty took over her and she found herself shaking her head vehemently. "No." she whispered back, all the while holding his gaze.

Oliver let out a wet laugh and shook his head affectionately. "Good girl." he said.

They stood there for a moment, savouring what they had for a minute and Oliver wanted to make it last for as long as he could because he knew they would be torn apart again soon. The expression on his face grew serious. "You have to fight it Chloe." he told her, determination filling his tone. "You once told me you wouldn't want to be anyone's pawn. You have to fight it."

Her eyebrows drew together and her mind whirled at a hundred miles an hour for a moment before a sudden wave of tiredness swept over her.

"Chloe." Oliver said sharply when he saw her eyelids falling. "Remember what I told you, fight it, this isn't you Chloe!"

"Ollie!" she breathed as her knees gave out.

He caught her the next second, his eyes scanning her face worriedly, only to find her asleep. He sighed, realizing it was Brainiac's response to keep her from processing his words. He swallowed heavily and scooped her up. Walking towards the couch in the room, he landed her on it with a care he had never shown before and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight sidekick."

Watching her for a moment, Oliver straightened up and walked over the bookcases. Using the remote to slide them open, his eyes fell on his counterpart and he approached him quietly. "Come on," he whispered as he placed the other Oliver on his shoulder. "We have a long day ahead of ourselves."

With that, he walked out of the room with one last glance at Chloe's asleep form on the couch.

* * *

_**November 11th** **2008\. 08:58 AM UTC-6. Clocktower penthouse, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Oliver sat up suddenly in his bed. Fighting off the sudden wave of dizziness, he felt like he'd been having the strangest dream ever. He was about to get up when a sudden pain in his shoulder made him flinch. Looking down at himself, he finally noticed the bandages wrapped around his ribs and the patches covering the numerous wounds on his body.

Realization dawned on his face. It hadn't been a dream. "Holy shit." he whispered in awe.

A chuckle coming from the doorway made him look up suddenly. "Pretty much how I feel." the other man managed a small smile.

Oliver's eyes widened. "You're me."

His counterpart nodded. "Technically I come from the future so... yes I'm you." He cut off the other man when he saw he was about to speak. "Look I know you're confused." he started. "And that you must have questions but now's not the time, we have a much bigger problem on our hands."

Oliver took the hint. "What problem?" His mind was spinning as it tried to process everything.

"The beast." the man from the future answered.

"You know where it is?" Oliver got on his feet and stepped closer to the man, waiting for his answer eagerly.

He pursed his lips. "Not exactly but what I know is that Chloe and the beast are connected by some sort of supercomputer from outer space. Ask Clark about it, it's his mess." his jaw tightened ever so slightly as memories came back to him.

Oliver's jaw dropped open at that. "Chloe is controlled by a computer?" he asked in disbelief.

The other man nodded, the hint of a smirk on his face. "It's safe to say that everything she's done lately hasn't been what she would have done if she had had her free will."

Oliver swallowed tightly and ignored the hint of hope in his chest. "What are we going to do now? Is that why you're here? To help us?"

"I came back in time because I couldn't live with what's happening in the future."

Oliver's heart raced in his chest. "What happened there?"

The other man looked away for a moment and Oliver recognized the pain on his face. His heart squeezed painfully as if he could feel his agony too. "Let's just say I'm here to make sure it's not going to happen here." he replied with determination and looked at his counterpart in the eye.

"You have to call the guys for help, explain to them that Chloe's in danger and that the beast is out for her." the Oliver from the future exposed. "And you'll need Clark's help too."

"The beast wants Chloe dead?" Oliver's stomach clenched, his mind already coming up with plans to protect her. He hadn't even seen the beast yet and most of Metropolis considered it a wild animal who was sooner or later going to be captured. The truth was _much worse_ and he felt like only the man in front of him knew to what extent exactly at the moment.

The other man's eyes closed for a moment. "It's _much worse_." he whispered, then opened his eyes and began to walk back slowly. "You make sure someone has an eye on her at all time, I have something else to take care of while you do that."

"Wait!" Oliver stopped him. "You're going after the beast?"

He considered telling him the truth for a moment. "Something like that."

Oliver's eyes narrowedbut he didn't say anything. He could feel within himself that his counterpart wasn't telling him everything. "Will we at least meet again?" he asked.

He was silent for a moment. "I won't leave until we make sure that the beast is gone and that Chloe's safe."

They nodded at the same time and stared at each other for a moment before the Oliver from the future backed away and stepped towards the elevator. His counterpart sighed and decided not to dwell on the weirdness of it all as he picked up his phone and sent a mass text message to the team and Clark.

_FROM: Green Arrow_

_TO: Impulse, Cyborg, Aquaman, Black Canary, Boy Scout_

 

_URGENT: Meet me at my place at one._

* * *

_**November 11th** **2008\. 11:41 AM UTC-6. Luthor mansion, Smallville, Kansas, USA.** _

Oliver felt his pocket discreetly to make sure the ring was still there as he let himself be led towards the mansion's office. He was going to destroy it later but not before he was sure Chloe was safe for good.

He masked his anxiety behind an arrogant smile and walked past the woman in front of him as they arrived towards the office. Pushing open the double doors, he made a show of letting himself in like he owned the place.

"Mr. Queen, you can't-" the assistant behind him spoke but he ignored her.

"How's it going Mercy?" he asked at the redhead sitting behind the desk. "I was driving by when I saw the mansion and decided to stop and say hi. I feel like I've been neglecting you lately." His mask was strong and didn't let the small feeling of guilt in his stomach show. His Chloe had told him that it was all in the past and she was right.

Tess Mercer glared at him and sat back into her chair but didn't move as he stopped at the other end of the desk. "You've got some nerve showing up here after everything." she seethed.

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Wow you talk like you're the one calling the shots here." he mocked. "What's gonna happen when Lex comes back?"

Tess's jaw tightened. "Haven't you heard? Lex's been declared dead."

Oliver smirked at her obvious angerbut he also caught the slightest hint of fear in her expression. "We both know it's gonna take more than just a little bit of ice to take out that snake." he said, fully expecting her to react.

She was silent for a moment. "Any reason why you decided to show up here despite messing with me?" she asked calmly.

Oliver frowned but quickly hid it with another grin. "Well you haven't seen much around town lately, I was just checking up on you. There's a rumor at Luthorcorp that runs around since you haven't been seen for a while there." he made sure to keep the mockery in his tonebut his concern was real. Tess wasn't behaving like he predicted.

Her eyes narrowed at him and she swallowed her nervousness discreetly. "Which is?" she kept her tone even, almost bored.

The blond walked closer and put his hands on the desk, making sure he stood close to the computer for a minute. "That you've been kidnapped." he told her seriously, studying her attentively.

Tess's eyes widened and she couldn't help the shiver of fear that ran down her spine, the faces of Lex and Keamy showing up in her mind before she finally composed herself. "Well as you can see I'm perfectly fine so if you're done wasting my time," she motioned towards the door. "I think you know the way out."

Oliver's eyes were still on her for a moment before his careless attitude came back. "Another time Mercy." he smirked and walked away, waving at the assistant on the way who frowned at him.

He had what he wantedbut there was also something else going on with Tess that troubled him. Oliver shook his head and kept walking. It wasn't his priority, he had to make sure Chloe was safe.

He had a meeting with a bald devil.

* * *

_**November 11th** **2008\. 01:02 PM UTC-6. Isis Foundation, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Chloe sighed softly when she felt herself waking up but refused to move for a moment. She was still tired. She'd met with Davis the other night and they'd hung out together in the mostly empty streets of Metropolis, eventually finding at 24/7 service restaurant to have a quick date before he'd been paged away for an emergency. It had been a little before six then, she had decided to get back to Isis and get the day started until...

She frowned.

Something had happened. Chloe felt itbut she couldn't remember it, like her brain was blocking her access to her memories. A sudden wave of pain seized her head and she gasped. Her eyes opening widely, she sat up automatically as lines of kryptonian codes filled her eyes.

The pain intensified and she brought her hands to her head. "Why does it hurt so damned much?!" Chloe yelled, she felt like her brain was being compressed. Fear overwhelmed her, was she going to die here?

The pain stopped instantly and for a moment she remembered, _everything_. Her heart squeezed painfully as she read the betrayal on Oliver's face, his voice when she told him she wouldn't help him before she left him to die. What had she done? Was he okay? She needed to know.

"I'm a danger." she whispered, now acutely aware of her condition. Something was taking over her, messing with her mind. "It's you isn't it?" she looked around the room, half expecting to see him pop up out of nowhere as she talked to him.

_-You wouldn't want to be anyone's pawn._

"Why are you making me do this? I'm a pawn in your game, aren't I?" her voice rose as anger mixed in with her fear. "What is your plan Brainiac?" she whispered.

_-Fight it, Chloe!_

Whatever it was, she needed to find out a way to free herself from him, she needed to warn Oliver and the team. And Clark. Her eyes widened. _Clark!_ He could find a way if he asked his father. Chloe bolted for the phone and brought it to her ear. Clark, she needed to call Clark.

_What's his number already? Damn it!_

She blinked and frowned in confusion when she caught herself using the phone. Who was she calling? There was no one on the other end so she put the phone down and looked around in confusion. What was she doing?

_Doomsday is coming._

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the voice in her head. There was no one else in the room. A dreadful feeling invaded her and she felt like she should be calling someone, she shouldn't have put the phone down. She should have called- Who?

Raking her brain for an answer she found out she remembered no one but herself and... Davis.

Oh, Davis. Immediately, her anxiety was erased and she felt herself being content. She should go out and meet with him, maybe his shift was over and they could have an early breakfast together.

Chloe walked out of Isis without a second thought, a smile on her face.

* * *

_**November 11th** **2008\. 01:03 PM UTC-6. Clocktower penthouse, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

Oliver was pacing impatiently in the main room of his penthouse, thinking about his future self visiting him and deciding whether or not he should tell that to the boys.

The sound of the elevator coming up ended his inner turmoil and he watched as Clark walked inside only to frown at him. "Oliver? What happened?" he asked in concern.

He looked down at himself and realized he hadn't put on a shirt. It wasn't unusual for himbut he figured he wouldn't want the guys to see the full extent of his injuries so he made a mental note to grab something after he greeted Clark.

"I'll tell you all about it when the guys are here." he moved forward and extended his hand, smiling faintly to reassure his friend. "Actually since you're here now, I think I should be giving you back something of yours."

Clark looked confused but shook his hand anyway before letting the other man lead him to his Green Arrow room.

"I'm sorry about what I said yesterday, I was on the edge and that doesn't excuse my behavior I know but..." Oliver shrugged and picked up a featureless black box from a shelf, handing it to Clark. "I figured you might need this in the close future."

The alien took the box and frowned down at it. "What is it?" he asked.

The blond smirked. "I think you can open it safely, it won't bite you." he quipped. "Besides, you're a big boy aren't you?" He was already feeling better knowing that he could share the burden with his friends and he was certain they would get Chloe out of the beast's grasp and kick it out into outer space.

Clark pursed his lips and Oliver had to roll his eyes at his lack of sense of humor but didn't say anything as the other man finally dared to lift the lid open, surprise flashing on his face at the sight of the crystal of knowledge inside. "When did you find this?" he asked, taken aback by the crystal.

"Lex's right hand, Regan, had it. When Chloe and I attended the gala, we decided we'd take it back and give it to you. I know it's been a few days already and I'm sorry we didn't go to you right awaybut I've had a lot on my mind lately." Oliver explained.

Clark nodded and watched him for a moment. "Are you alright? You look tired... I mean besides the scratches and all this." he gestured at his chest.

The other man considered lying for a moment but decided not to. "No, I'm not." he admitted. "I almost died last night."

A heavy silence fell upon the room for a moment. Clark was about to say something when the elevator indicated that more people were coming up.

"It's the guys." Oliver cut him off. "Don't worry, I'm gonna be okay." he patted his shoulder and began to back away. "Can you greet them? I need to find a shirt."

Clark watched him go. "Yeah... okay." He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room for a moment before the elevator's gate opened. A blur of red zoomed past him in the direction of the kitchen as three other persons walked up to him.

"Hey Stranger, I'm going to be honest, if we keep meeting up so often I might get sick of you pretty soon!" A sarcasm-filled voice spoke up in his back, he turned around to see Victor approaching him. "How are you doing Clark?" he chuckled.

Dinah rolled his eyes. "Ignore him." she motioned towards Victor. "His sense of humor is pretty special."

"I take offence to that." The cyborg quipped.

AC laughed. "I don't know I think we all think the same about you Vic."

"AC, Victor, Dinah." Clark greeted them.

"What's up Stretch?" Bart asked from the kitchen. "Still haven't changed your mind on that race? Hey, where's Ollie?"

At that, Clark's lips twitched. "I told you I'm thinking about it." he replied playfully. "And Oliver's upstairs, he'll be down soon." His voice dropped at the last part of his statement.

Victor noticed that and raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong with Ollie?" he asked.

The alien sifted on his feet when he realized they were all staring at him, expecting an answer, even Bart had gone silent. "Something's not right about him, he'll tell us about it apparently."

AC frowned. "Okay.." he began slowly. "That doesn't sound too good."

"It might be why he called us here to begin with." Dinah added.

Victor went to the kitchen and picked up two bottles of water. He went back to the main room and tossed one at AC before sitting down on the sofa. His companion joined him and sat down as they all waited for the man in charge to come down and fill them in.

The wait was shortbut it was enough for the tension to invade them and even more so at the sight of Oliver coming down the stairs. The grimace on his face when he walked down the last step and the hand he laid on his side didn't go past Dinah.

"Hey guys." he smiled slightly as he took in their expression. Judging by the way they were staring at him, he figured Clark had informed them of his condition.

"Oliver," Victor nodded.

"What's going on boss?" AC asked.

He raised a hand to prevent anymore questions. "I'll cut to the chase," he said as he stood in front of them. "Chloe's in danger and she needs our help, all of our help."

Clark tensed. "What do you mean Chloe's in danger?"

"Dude, she wouldn't be Chloelicious if she wasn't a trouble magnet, y'know?" Bart chimed in.

Oliver's face didn't change. "Clark let me finish, I get what you're feeling, I do and that's why I called you all." he explained and took a deep breath before looking back at his group. "Actually... there are a lot of things you need to know."

It was going to be a long talk.

* * *

_**November 11th** **2008\. 05:20 PM UTC-6. Undisclosed location, Kansas, USA.** _

The shadow of the Green Arrow crept up the dark and narrow corridors of the wrecked rests of what had once been a huge piece of civil engineering. The place had already been used to house Lex's darkest experiments but had then been closed off. Everyone thought those ruins were unusablebut the truth was that Lex still owned the place and was going to make use of it for something that touched Oliver Queen to his core.

He was there to stop it before anything happened. Determination pumping in his veins along with adrenaline and anger fuelled him to carry out his mission. A dangerous mission, that he knew. The place was filled with security guards and he had it on good authority that the devil in person was on site. He could kill two birds with one stone as far as he was concerned and he wouldn't shed a tear.

His footfalls were silent as he moved further inside. The light was out in the corridors, a thing that turned out at his advantage judging by the number of goons who were lying motionless in an isolated room close by. Oliver reached up and pulled himself flat against the ceiling when he heard footsteps approaching.

The head of a man wearing a cap filled his sight, he didn't know what was waiting for him down there. As soon as he was close enough, the tall frame of the Emerald Archer fell on him, knocking him out. He made quick work of tying him up and gagging him before lifting his heavy body on his shoulder,. Carrying the guard to where his fellow men were.

"And twelve." Oliver breathed through his voice distorter. That should be all. He left them here with a knife before sealing them inside. They were going to need it to untie themselves and put on their suits to escape safely.

He went back to the other end of the corridor, approaching the experimentation room, the only one enlightened. Stealing a quick glance, he caught sight of a familiar bald head standing in the middle of the room, obviously supervising the set-up of the machines. Oliver gritted his teeth in anger.

_Lex._

* * *

"Careful with these!" barked the man in question at the workers. "This piece of machinery is unique, damaging it is _not_ an option!"

One of the men carrying the heavy steel machine along with four of his peers swallowed nervously. "We're doing everything we can sir, but we will never be able to finish this in time if we need to be this careful." he spoke, a hint of anxiety in his tone.

"What's this for anyway?" another worker asked.

Lex's scowl deepened. "You are not allowed to ask questions!" he pinned him down with his gaze before looking back to the first intervenor. "You have a deadline and I won't accept anything but success, do what you have to but I want this ready in less than 48 hours."

"Sir..."

"The deadline, Anderson, the deadline." Lex reminded him as he walked towards the console on the side to study the plans of his oeuvre. A small hint of anticipation in his body as he checked over the state of things. The radiation chamber was being assembled at the moment, the cell and the birthing room were ready. It was going to work, he knew it.

So far everything had panned out as planned. It was amazing to see the thoughtfulness of one man when you looked back now. In fact, Lex had to admit 'thoughtfulness' wasn't the right word here, it was impossible for one simple human no matter how powerful he was, to predict the most impossible things only to have them confirmed years later. It wasn't thoughtfulness no, more like... a vision. The word of a god speaking through the man.

The irony was, Lionel Luthor had always been wanting to be a god. Look where that got him, falling down the forty floors of a building representing the achievement of his life. The sudden personality changes, the scribbles of an old man in a trance, the newfound relationships with the Kents. The billionaire and the nobodies.

 _I should have seen it coming._ Lex rubbed a hand on his forehead. _It, all of it... it was all in front of me. Don't let yourself be blinded by your emotions once again. No more of that._

This time, emotions were out of the equation, it was all for science. _All for science..._

 _And yourself, Alexander._ The voice of a mother called to him, his mother. Lillian Luthor.

The faintest hint of a smirk ghosted over the corner of his lips. _Forscience._ Lex repeated.

His head snapped up at the whizzing sound of a projectile crossing through the room before embedding itself into the part of the radiation chamber the workers where carrying.

"Oh shit!" one of them cried out as they all let it fall on the ground.

The loud sound of electronics and glass shattering as it hit the cement of the soil filled their earsbut it wasn't the source of the shell-shocked look on the billionaire's face. There, right in the middle of it, a slick piece of titanium standing on the fallen material; an arrow, a _green_ arrow.

He snapped his head back. "What-"

"You might want to forget that deadline and focus on evacuating your staff on site, _Luthor_."

The sound of this metallic voice that he hadn't expected to hear yet. The shock on his face was clear when his eyes spotted the figure of the Green Arrow standing proudly in the middle of the room, holding up a device in one hand, a crossbow in the other.

 _Oliver!_ He raged inside.

"What's the matter Lex? Haven't been expecting me?" the vigilante challenged, a smirk forming under his hood at the expression on the other man.

"How did you find this place?!" Lex demanded. "It wasn't referenced anywhere!" _It's impossible!_

"Sir?" a worker asked uncertainly. They had stopped onspot at the Green Arrow's entrance and were eyeing the two men warily now. "Sir? What do we d-"

"Don't talk!" Lex ordered sharply, turning to look at them. "Keep working, he's mine!"

Oliver made a disapproving sound. "The place is set to blow up if I press this little button in my hand. You want to live? Run!"

They didn't need to be told twice, as soon as Oliver's words were pronounced they were scattering towards the closest exit.

Lex ran after them vainly. "What the hell are you doing?! Come back here, you have a deadline to respect!" Letting out a cry of rage at his futile attempt to bring them back, he turned to Oliver once again and began to walk up to him menacingly. "What do you want to do with my lab Green Arrow?" _What the fuck are you doing Oliver?_

Oliver lowered the hand carrying the crossbow. "I thought I was clear, I'm gonna blow it up!"

The other man had already caught up to him by the end of his sentence, he slapped the detonator away from Oliver's hand and punched him in the stomach. The device went flying to the other end of the room as the blow he'd taken had sent him crashing into the nearest wall.

 _Fuck!_ Oliver cursed inwardly. _His suit, I forgot about his suit!_

Indeed, as Lex towered over him clad with his invisible Prometheus suit, the two men knew who led the dance inside these walls. It was clear that Oliver's mistake was going to be his demise when Lex grabbed him by the arm and spun him around.

The Green Arrow was on his knees, his arms forced behind his back by Lex whose strength was greatly enhanced thanks to the nanites injected under his skin. He stood behind the vigilante's back and lowered himself slowly so he could slide threats in his ear.

"You've always been a pain, Green Arrow but I'm going to admit I'm disappointed that it has to be so easy." Lex whispered darkly. "I had a whole plan ready for you and your band of misfits. It was going to be a long, very long but – _oh so_ rewarding game."

"So..." Oliver breathed harshly. "What now? You kill me?"

"That's what I intend to do but not yet, not for a long while. It might turn out to be better that way." the man they could call Satan sneered. "You will be with me every step of the way to see your... friends falling in my traps and die. I'llbe there to watch every pathetic expression of your face when that happens, O-" _Oliver._

The vigilante began to laugh. Quietly at first before it evolved into a full blown eruption of laughter. Lex frowned and tightened his grip on the other man's arms. "What's so funny about this situation, Archer?" he hissed.

Oliver winced a littlebut that didn't stop his laughter. The bald billionaire was about to yell at him when a loud, grave detonation echoed through the other end of the facility. Lex stood up straight in surprise and looked behind him. There was a muffled rumbling sound dangerously closing in on them.

"You really think I was stupid enough to let myself get caught like that?" The Emerald Archer interrupted his trance. "You really think my bombs didn't have a timer? I thought you were smarter than this Lex, I'm disappointed!"

His head whipped towards the man on his knees. The sound was now so loud it was covering their voices. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" he yelled.

"Sorry but you'll have to rethink your plans!"

A large wave of water washing up fast towards them, threatening to drown them if they didn't move. Two more detonation followed and Lex helplessly watched as the ceiling of his lab collapsed, letting an immense amount of water run inside, flooding the entire place.

The water splashed on them, washing the two men away from each other, destroying the machines on its way. They were underwater now and Lex's eyes were wide as the water slowed him down, rending his strength useless, he yelled at the quickly evading form of the Green Arrow being driven away, only managing to loose the only oxygen his lungs needed to breathe.

On his side, Oliver knew he only had one chance out of five to make it out of here alive and he needed to start swimming up to the surface but the large holes on the ceiling were propelling water down, forcing him inside. His heartbeat raced as he realized that things might end here for him.

He was trapped.

* * *

_**November 11th** **2008\. 05:25 PM UTC-6. Clocktower penthouse, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

The five heroes looked aghast at their leader standing in front of them in the living of the Queen penthouse. Their minds having a hard time grasping over everything that had happened to him in the course of the last twenty-four hours.

"So... let me get this straight." Dinah started. "You discovered one of Lex's scientists was dead, decided to search his house _alone_ , ended up being tailed by Martin Keamy's guys while Chloe was letting you fend for yourself, then you find his place, fight with him there only to be saved by Lex's goon and finding out that Tess Mercer was being held hostage... all this in one day?"

Oliver nodded, his arms crossed over his chest. "Yes."

When Dinah just gaped at him, Clark jumped into the conversation. "Why would Chloe refuse to help you? That doesn't sound like her at all!" he said as he stood up, narrowing his eyes at the blond man. "Are you sure you're telling us everything, Oliver?"

"Oh come on dude!" Bart intervened. "Give him a freaking break! He's been through hell and back!"

"Man that's rude!" AC stared at Clark.

"No he's right." Their leader countered. "I haven't been telling you everything I know."

Dinah, Bart and AC frowned at him as Clark crossed his arms over his chest too while Victor stayed silent, studying his friend.

Oliver moistened his throat nervously. "This is going to sound pretty stupid but the thing is, Chloe's behavior is influenced by some sort of alien supercomputer who's using her as a bait to lure the man-killing beast in Metropolis for whatever reason." He waved his hand in the air for emphasis.

This time, it was Clark's turn to frown. "An alien supercomputer..." he repeated. "You mean Brainiac?" he asked urgently.

Oliver watched him in surprise for a few seconds. "I don't know the details, you might want to ask your father in that crystal thingie for confirmation." he gestured towards the crystal of knowledge laying on the coffee table. "He might even tell you how to help Chloe and kill the beast."

"Wait... how do you know all that?" AC asked in disbelief.

The other man shifted on his feet uncomfortably, unsure if he could tell them everything. His friends watched him struggle for a moment before Victor decided to get him out of his misery.

"What if we can't kill it? The beast, I mean."

"Let's wait until Clark can find out more about it before we decide what to do about it, okay?" Oliver pacified. His team nodded in unison. "Okay Clark?"

The alien didn't answer, instead there was a look of deep concentration on his face as his head titled to the side a little.

"Clark?" Oliver asked uncertainly.

He blinked and looked up at his friend. "Something's happened at the Reeves Dam."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An early update to show you my willingness to complete this story (and this series). Once again I apologize for the delays I'm imposing even though I can't do much about it but promise that regular updates will start popping up around mid-june.  
> On the chapter, I know time-travel have been used countless times in Smallville fics but I can assure you it all ties up into the plot and I really hope you enjoyed it.  
> Any feedback of any kind (and I mean it) is welcome, unless it's spam obviously, heh!


	11. The Truth From The Eyes Of The Beast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recap: Oliver is visited by his future self who warns him about Chloe's condition. Alerted, Oliver calls in the JLA and Clark. Meanwhile Chloe realizes what's happening to her but Brainiac's hold on her mind stops her from reaching out for help. Future!Oliver gives a visit to Lex in one of his labs and destroys it only to realize he's trapped inside.

_' I've always felt like... kind of like there was this darkness inside me... just fighting to get out. ' - Davis Bloome, Season 8, Episode 6: "Prey"_

* * *

**November 11th 2008. 05:49 PM UTC-6. Reeves Dam, Smallville, Kansas, USA.**

The shadow of the Green Arrow fell over the flooded area that once was kept dry by the Reeves Dam. It had been destroyed a year earlier in a battle between Clark and an alien creature detained and experimented on by Lex Luthor. Since then, the little town of Morley had been underwater and the wrecked remains of the dam were extracted while its foundations had been reinforced to prevent any landslide.

What Victor had noticed during his quick investigation of the place after Clark had announced he'd heard a seism at the dam, was the name of the company who'd completed the works on its final consolidation: Luthorcorp.

Oliver had cursed. “I should have known.”

The League had then wasted little time to put on their suits and run to the place. AC had seen right away the cloud of dust clogging the waters right over the wrecks of the dam. It was a blurry and thick veil hiding the true nature of the site beneath.

Without an ounce of hesitation the Atlantean jumped into his natural element and swam inside the underwater structure, disappearing from the sights of his friends who were scattering over the seven miles large valley, half-dry half-flooded. It was a true wetland now and Bart was proving to have issues running around on such an unstable ground.

“Impulse.” Oliver had called him, the youngster hurried as well as he could towards his mentor. “We're wasting your abilities here, Bart. You should go back to Smallville and then Metropolis.” He'd explained with a hand on the other man's shoulder. “Stall the authorities with any way you can, you have carte blanche.”

The speedster's face lit up. “Awesome! You can count on me Ollie!” He made a ceremonial bow before zooming away.

Oliver smiled a little before his eyes fell on a growing mass of water a few feet before him. The droplets fell down revealing AC, a grave expression on his features.

The archer gawked at the sight of the inert man in his friend's arms. Approaching them quickly, he and AC locked eyes for a moment. “What the hell is this, man?” the latter demanded.

Oliver grimaced and glanced down at the unconscious form of the Green Arrow carried by his team-mate. He was suddenly struck by an alarming panic. “Is he dead? AC, tell me!”

The other man looked confused and almost angry. “No, I pumped the water out of his lungs but he must have been down there for a while.” he stated. “He might be out for a bit.”

Oliver nodded, sighing in relief.

“Dude, are you finally going to tell me what's going on here?” AC reiterated his demands. “I feel like you keeping a hell of a lot secrets from us lately. What the hell is this?” he nodded towards the second Green Arrow.

“I get what you're feeling, AC, but now is not the time.” Oliver pleaded again when his friend began protesting. “Please, give me the benefit of the doubt, okay? After all we've been through, could you do that for me? I swear I'll explain everything.”

“Okay.” he sighed as his shoulders slumped.

“Good,” Oliver nodded, thankful. “Was there anyone else inside?”

AC shrugged. “There was a decompression chamber that was opened from the inside and most of the oxygen tanks were gone so I guess, whoever was there left in a hurry. But dude, what I saw down there, it was weird.” A dark expression filled his face. “It was like another 33.1”

The news didn't surprise Oliver as much as he thought it would for some reasonbut it was another reminder that Lex Luthor was far from dead. He was hiding in the shadows, something he was extremely good at and it made him that much more dangerous.

“Lex was there.” Oliver deduced. “He was there and I... he... the other me tried to stop him.” That was the only reasonable explanation to this mess. A mess that raised more questions than answers: Why was Lex obsessed with his 33.1 labs when he had his Prometheus suit on and could re-emerge into the public world once again? How did the other him know the existence and location of this lab? Why going after Lex when his counterpart specifically told him the beast was the most pressing danger?

Oliver was pulled out of his thoughts by the soft beep of his pager. Under AC's eyes, he lifted the device and read the message. “Bart's on his way to Metropolis, the police had been notified by the USGS of the seism in the area. It's time to go.”

“What do I do with him?” Arthur asked, readjusting the unconscious man in his arms for emphasis.

Oliver was silent for a moment. “I'll take him with me.” he said. “Could you try to find his bike and bring it back to my place?” he was certain it had been his counterpart's means of locomotion and it checked out the story that one of his bikes had mysteriously disappeared from his garage.

AC who had come on siteon the back of Victor's bike was the best person for the job, especially since the surrounding environment was filled with water.

“You got it,” AC acquiesced. “But as soon as I get back, I want to know everything.”

“You will, buddy.” Oliver assured him. “I'll explain what's going on to you guys.”

His friend seemed satisfied by Oliver's words and smirked as he passed over the second Oliver to him. The incredible sight was marked in his mind as one of the strangest things he'd ever seen and would make goodteasing fodder when times turned over a new leaf.

“See you at your place, bro.”

* * *

**November 11th 2008. 07:00 PM UTC-6. Clocktower, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.**

An hour later found the five members of the League plus Clark form a circle around a certain archer's doppelgänger in awe. The man was still out of it and had been laid on Oliver's bed. The latter hadn't missed the irony of the situation, for, eight hours earlier their roles had been reversed 

“Man, that's crazy!” Bart whispered loudly, his jaw dropped open.

“It's got to rank into the top five of the oddest things we've seen.” Victor agreed.

“Top five? Dude, that's shit for the first step of the podium we got here!”

“Bart!”

“Sorry boss,” the young man said sheepishly.

“Is that really you?” Dinah asked as she looked down, imperturbable at the unconscious man. “I mean, can't he be some sort of twin?”

“Or a clone. It wouldn't surprise me coming from Lex.” Clark eyed him warily. “He might be dangerous. Maybe... maybe we should tie him up.”

Oliver rolled his eyes. “No one's going to tie me up. I mean him.” he gestured to his counterpart. “And no, he's not dangerous” _as far as I know_ , he added silently. “Leave him alone, Clark and come on, all of you, I'll tell you everything.”

“It promises.” AC said wryly earning himself a jab from Dinah.

Oliver smirked at his friend's words and looked at his team and Clark as they sat down in his living room, taking the same spots they'd been on just hours earlier. Oliver noticed how some things tended to repeat themselves and he didn't know whether to grin or to shudder.

“There.” he clasped his hands together rather nervously. “Vic you were the one to give me an out when AC asked me a difficult question last time.”

“Yup.” the cyborg chimed in. “Are we finally going to know where you got your information about Chloe and the beast?”

His stomach clenched at her name buthis mask hid any reaction he might have had. “It's time, yeah.” he agreed. “The man currently in my bedroom told me everything I told you about the beast and Brainiac. It's all I know on that matter.” he explained.

“Then where did he get this info? And who he is?” AC supplied.

“He's the messiah!” Bart joked.

Dinah rolled her eyes. “Religious much?”

“Kids!” Oliver said loudly before Bart could replicate. “That guy is me.” Oliver revealed humbly. “He's not a clone or a twin, he's just me but...”

“... yes?” Victor pushed with mild amusement.

“He's from the future.”

All traces of humor fell from the faces in front of him, they took the news in a seriousness Oliver hadn't anticipated but one that made a strange feeling of pride swell in his chest. He'd brought these people together to fight a noble yet dangerous cause. One they often joked about as they tended not to take things on a serious note to alleviate their stress. Today was the first time they'd reacted like this to such a news and it told him that they were all changing, adapting and overall growing up.

 _Well... all of them except one_ , Oliver noticed dryly. On the left end of the couch Clark could barely suppress an incredulous smile. “The future, Oliver? Really?”

“I'm serious Clark.”

He snorted. “Time-travel is a myth butyou pulled a good joke, I'll admit that much.”

Oliver shook his head in disappointment inwardly. They definitely had dissimilar senses of humour.

“Aliens were a myth before we met you, Clark.” Victor shot back smartly.

“I saw him appear out of nowhere right in front of me.” Oliver explained. “He knew things only I could know.”

“What kind of things?” Bart asked curiously, Oliver was pleased to note the youngest of them wasn't taking it any less seriously than his friends.

 _Chloe._ He eyed Clark warily for a second. “Personal things.”

The alien didn't look any more convinced but chose not to comment as AC raised a point that settled their belief that the second Oliver was indeed from the future. “I think it makes sense.” he began. “I told Ollie that there was a 33.1 lab inside the ruins of the dam and we thought the other Oliver – Man! We better find a way to name both him and our Ollie differently,”

“How about we call our boss Ollie and the other one, simply Oliver?” Dinah proposed.

They all acquiesced and AC continued his demonstration. “So, as I said, Oliver was in a 33.1 and both Ollie and I thought he'd destroyed it to prevent Lex from going any further.” he exposed. “The fact that he comes from the future explains why he learned of the location and maybe even what was going on there...”

“He could have stopped Lex before he even began to experiment on anyone.” Victor added as his mind realized what that meant. “Damn you got brains, Fish-stick."

AC shook his head. “I'll take that as a complement.”

“You should, it _is_ a compliment.” Victor assured him. “A backhanded one but a compliment nonetheless.” he smirked.

Dinah sighed. “You guys and you egos...”

“Birdy's got something to say?” Bart intervened, all too happy to take a revenge shot at her.

“Shut up shorty!” she growled.

“Man, you're mean!” he pouted.

“How about we postpone this nice conversation for later and check on Chloe?” Oliver stopped their banter before it got out of hand. “It's the reason I called you here for, after all.”

“A reasonable man!” Victor praised as he stood up butOliver was troubled when he locked eyes with him and saw the glint in the cyborg's eyes. It was like he knew Oliver was worried about her. Could he have caught up on things so quickly?

His musings were interrupted as Clark mimicked Victor and stood up too before moving towards the exit. “I'll go check on Chloe.” he declared.

“Clark.” Oliver called after him. “I know she's your friend but don't go there trying to reason her. I've tried that before, it's useless at the moment. We need you to talk to Jor-El. Can you do that?”

The alien looked at him in a guarded way. “I will but Chloe and I... we're different.”

Maybe it was Oliver's perception or maybe it wasn't but the way Clark had uttered those words, it stung him. It was like he thought nothing of Oliver's friendship with Chloe.. and what might be or might have been. _He doesn't know after all, you didn't tell him_ , a little voice in his head told him. Oliver had his reasons for that, one being that he wasn't sure of the way the alien would react to Oliver's possible relationship with the pretty blonde. The other one was more selfish, he had to admit, he saw Clark as a rival sometimes when it came to her. Because even after all these years he wasn't really sure on what ground Chloe and Clark stood.

Oliver blinked rapidly as he felt a pat on his back right as Victor passed him. “Don't worry, he's just being Clark.” the man whispered and winked at him.

The billionaire smiled softly. Things may not be at their best right now, especially when it came to him and Clark but at least, he had allies.

* * *

_**November 11th 2008. 10:46 PM UTC-6. Clocktower, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

The night had already fallen on the city for a couple of hours and the entire first floor of the penthouse was draped in the dark quietness of the evening only broken by the occasional conversations downstairs, proof of the researches the team were doing.

Oliver had eclipsed himself a few moments earlier to move upstairs. He had felt the need to check on his double himself. He was still out and it was beginning to worry him. AC knew his way when it came to the effects of water on the human body and had assured them this Oliver was safe. It didn't stop the irrational fear accompanied by the increasing questions of the other man's mind.

There was something, something he couldn't explain that just told him the man in front of him detained all the answers to his torments. Why didn't he tell him everything right away? Why did he turn back time? What did he want to prevent from happening? What--

“Oliver.”

He whipped around in a start, his heart beating wildly for a second before he recognized Victor standing in the doorway.

“Sorry, I knocked but...” he sighed. “Am I interrupting?”

Oliver swallowed his stress. “No, no, not at all.” he assured. “Come in.”

The cyborg let himself in, letting his eyes fall on the second Oliver for a moment before bringing them back up to his leader's face. “I've been tracking Chloe for three and a half hours now. She is at the Talon right now.” he said. “Of course Clark gave her a visit.”

The blond man rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath.

“Yeah.” Victor agreed. “Needless to say it didn't go well for him. I saw him literally get kicked out by Chloe, I think he frightened her.”

There was a lump in Oliver's throat. “Is she okay?” he held his breath.

“As much as she can be right now, yeah.” Victor reassured him and fell silent for a moment, holding the other man's gaze. “She seems to be dating this Davis guy.”

Oliver walked over to the window. “I know.”

“He's the one you asked me to do a background check on, right?”

He remembered Oliver's request from the day he and Chloe had asked the League to come back to Metropolis as the beast became a prominent danger.

The archer nodded weakly. “I shouldn't have asked that of you, it was selfish and had nothing to do with-”

“I found something.”

Oliver turned back to Victor in surprise. “What?”

The other man simply held up a manila folder Oliver had failed to realize he'd been holding. “It will get your interest, that I'm sure of.” he announced.

Oliver wasted little time taking the folder in his hands and skimming through it while his friend began highlighting the most important points of Davis' life.

“According to his state papers he's originally from Metropolis.” Vic exposed. “No parents, no known relatives, no actual birth date or place. It's like he popped out of nowhere. But that's not it, I had to dig deep but I finally found it.”

Victor turned some pages of the folder in Oliver's hands before revealing an official medical document. “What is it?” Oliver asked.

“When the authorities found Davis, he was already six-year old.” the cyborg went on quietly. “He was found on the streets with marks of syringe stings on his arms.”

“Drugs?” Oliver tried.

His friend shook his head. “There were no traces of that in his blood. He was being used as an experiment.” he explained. “In 1990, when the Metropolis Orphanage Foundation took him in, he'd been presented to a qualified doctor for a full physical check. That doctor found a GPS chip implanted in his wrist. It was one of the first of its kind. This man was coincidentally found dead a week later.”

Oliver's eyes widened and he shot up nearly dropping the folder from his lap. “Queen Industries was the first company to ever produce GPS chips of this kind.” A sickening feeling took hold of him.

Victor smirked cynically. “Oliver,” he began. “Who was the major partner of Q.I. at the time?”

His face hardened, rage welled up in his stomach. “Luthorcorp!”

He knew the entire history of his father's company. After his parents died, Oliver had been left in the cares of Virgil Swann for some time but the man had been getting more and more absorbed in his quest of other forms of life in the universe after 1989. To the point where he couldn't even provide for his own daughter, Patricia Swann, anymore. Admitting his faults, Swann followed the orders of the Queen's will and left their son in the care of their family's personal lawyer, Dayton Miles.

Meanwhile, Lionel Luthor had used a loop in their legal will, purposely left there by their ex-lawyer, Edward Teague, to claim Queen Industries under Luthorcorp's control. The man hadn't counted on the protestations of Dayton Miles, who, unlike Teague, had never been a part of their Veritas group. Miles sued Luthorcorp and Lionel Luthor himself for twisting a legal contract to his own benefit.

After a lawsuit which lasted two years, Queen Industries had been handed back to Oliver's possession in 1991. It had then been managed by several temporary CEOs elected by the company's Board of Directors until Oliver turned eighteen and graduated Star City's International Business School per his parent's orders.

“Lionel Luthor is linked to Davis Bloome.” Oliver deduced.

“In some ways, yes.” Victor acquiesced. “But I really doubt it is what you think.” At Oliver's look, he hesitated. “... you better see this before.” he added hastily, turning more pages before he stopped on a report made by the director of a foster care center.

“Bloome was sent to Maryland a few years later. The Metropolis Orphanage Foundation had closed its doors due to a lack of funds and all the children were sent to different parts of the country.” Victor said. “Davis ended up north and stayed there until a few months ago but that isn't what matters here.”

He pointed to the document in Oliver's hands. Among the mass of text there were a few lines that caught the blond's attention.

_“... February the 3rd, 1996..._

_ ...the  thirteen year-old student was having a special course with his maths teacher, Mrs. Renée W. when he began losing attention and close up on himself. Upon seeing her student zone out, Mrs. W. reached naturally towards him to try and have him focus on his homework rather than his inner thoughts.  _

_Davis B. reacted by biting her arm violently for several moments despite her cries of pain. Mrs W. was brought to the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center of Baltimore right away as her condition couldn't be dealt with within the walls of the high-school.  
_

_Some time later we would learn that Mrs. W. lost her arm and was under shock. Many witnesses present at the clinic reported that she kept repeating 'I've seen his eyes, they were red!', proof of the impact of these events on her mind._

_Upon the dangerous and unpredictable nature of the student Davis B. I am requesting, sir, that we have him transferred to a specialized establishment where he could continue his education in an adapted environment. ”_ Oliver looked up at Victor. “What happened after that?”

“He has never been transferred.” he said. “The school had already had a scandal earlier that year and was threatened to close if something similar happened again.”

“I see.” Oliver snorted. “How did they clean this mess then?”

“Davis declared he didn't remember biting his teacher and she was handsomely paid to keep silent.” the cyborg explained. “Her condition was covered up by a private incident and it all checked out in the end.”

Oliver lifted a picture from the folder and made a face. It was a shot of the injured arm of the teacher after she'd been brought to the hospital. Her forearm had been entirely bitten off. “How can a human jaw make this kind of damage?” he asked, astonished.

“Oliver look at the facts.” Victor chided. “Who – or rather, what – do you think is Davis Bloome?”

He had a pretty clear idea buthis mind was having a hard time admitting the connection even after everything he'd seen. But like Victor said, the facts led to one and only one conclusion.

_'I've seen his eyes, they were red!'_

“He is the beast.” Oliver finally said in a hollow voice. “Shit, how could I have missed it?!”

 _Jealousy._ Victor thought but chose to keep quiet. “It explains why Chloe is so attached to him.” he said gently. “Brainiac is using her to lure the beast out of Davis.”

Oliver stood in alarm and looked at his doppelgänger, remembering all too well his words. _Chloe's in danger and that the beast is out for her._ He'd said. _I couldn't live with what's happening in the future. His heart leapt in his throat and he hurried out of the room._

“Bart!” he was at his side in an instant, having noticed the distress in his leader's voice. “I need you to..”

“Whatever you want, boss.” Bart urged. “Just tell me!”

“Go to the Talon and check the perimeter is clear.” Oliver ordered. “We need to get Chloe away from him.” He let out a humorless laugh. “We looked in every direction and it was right in front of us the whole time, damn it!”

“What do you mean?” Dinah asked as she and AC abandoned their work to regroup with them.

“Davis is the beast.”

* * *

_**November 12th 2008. 07:05 AM UTC-6. The Talon, Smallville, Kansas, USA.** _

Another night passed by and Chloe woke up at the Talon after having said her goodbyes to Davis and promising him she would see him in the morning, just like everyday. Sometimes she wondered why she wasn't thinking about taking her relationship with him to the next level in these moments after all these weeks of dating and seeing each other everyday.

She frowned. Seeing each other everyday. Sometimes it felt like her life was caught in a loop, it vaguely occurred to her from time to time that she was repeating the same actions over and over again. She would be bothered by that fact for a moment before her worry started to grow.

Why wasn't she meeting with her friends too? It was like her life revolved around Davis and Davis only. Probably because you only remember him, Chloe. A voice would growl in her head making her heart leap over in her chest as fear seized her.

Now she knew, something was wrong with her and that feeling wasn't unknown to her. She felt it every morning right after waking up, right after realizing Davis was all she knew and then, like every morning, she would forget again because...

There was a knock on the door and Chloe's train of thought suddenly disappeared. It must be Davis, she thought with a smile. She always felt like she wasn't seeing him enough.

Her false happiness was short-lived. As she opened the door, a strong wind breezed past her almost twirling her around by its sheer strength. She could only gasp in bewilderment as a boy she'd never seen and yet felt familiar literally appeared in her living room.

“All clear!” the boy shouted before looking at her, his eyes softened. “Hey beautiful.”

“What's... Who are you? What are you doing in my apartment?” she questioned, somehow she should feel in danger but she didn't.

“Chloe.” a man's warm voice sounded behind her. She turned around, meeting another handsome stranger whose eyes felt different to her.

“You're taking me away.” she whispered softly, as if a part of her she'd buried resurged from the depth of her clouded mind.

He gave her a reassuring smile and took a cautious step forward. “It's all going to be okay, Chloe.” he said. “You're safe, now.”

These last words had the action of unleashing the android in her head. Instantly, her heartbeat quickened and she fled in the opposite direction only to find herself get caught in the stranger's arms. “No!” she yelled and fought against him with all her might. “Let me go, I didn't do anything, I don't want to-”

“I'm sorry.” came a wavering breath on her neck.

A cloth smelling awfully like chloroform clogged her mouth and nose. Chloe struggled against him as much as she could butshe was already suffocating. Her vision darkened and her fighting stopped as an artificial tiredness swept over her.

And just like that, she was out.

* * *

_**November 12th 2008. 09:29 AM UTC-6. Wyatt Plaza, Edge City, Kansas, USA.** _

Two hours and a half passed by before the unmistakable sound of her groan startled Oliver from his spot on his chair by her bedside. Chloe turned over in bed and whined pitifully at the sunlight attacking her.

The sound brought a smile on his face and for a moment, he was able to forget why they both were in this hotel room, him watching her as she slowly woke up, still unaware of her surroundings.

Resigned to get up, Chloe turned to lay on her back and sighed. She would get no more sleep today, after all she had to-- Her eyes went wide as soon as she opened them.

There he was again. The handsome stranger from the Talon. He was towering over her in a way she wasn't sure how to interpret. _He's dangerous!_ a voice murmured to her.

 _No! Don't listen to him, he's there to help you!_ Another one supplied.

She was torn between these two opposed opinion until her instinct took over and leapt out of the bed and towards the opposite end of the room.

The stranger's shoulders visibly deflated buthe made no move to approach her. He raised his hands, as if surrendering. “I'm not going to hurt you.” he said quietly.

Her stomach clenched at the soft voice. “Who are you?” she asked in fear.

A sad smile adorned his features. “You don't remember me, do you?”

Chloe gulped and tried to calm herself just enough to think about how she'd get out of this situation. “You were at the Talon. You took me.” she recalled.

“Well, yeah... but it's not what you thin--” her gaze evaded his as she began to analyse the room frantically. It was a bedroom. She was in a hotel surely but which one? More importantly, how could she get out? The door was on her left but he would catch her before she had the time to bolt and the only window stood behind him... “Chloe... Chloe!” he caught her attention once again. “You don't have to be afraid,” he still held his hands at his sides. “I'm not going to force you into doing anything.”

“You forced me into being here!” she countered harshly. Where was Davis? She needed him right now, he could deal with this guy.

The man winced and seemed to look for words. “I'm Oliver.” he finally announced.

His statement caught her off-guard. She opened her mouth to answer but he cut her off before she got the chance.“You asked me, who I was.” he said. “I'm Oliver. Oliver Queen.”

She looked at him warily. “I don't care who you are, I want to leave!”

Oliver shook his head vehemently. “I can't let you do that, Chloe. I'm sorry.”

 _Where did he catch her name? Stupid!_ She thought. _He kidnapped you for a reason._ He must have done a background check on her then, of course he knew her name.

“What do you want from me?” despite the relaxing attitude of the man before her, she trembled in fear. As if her body didn't obey her anymore.

Oliver locked gazes with her, she could see the different emotions fighting in his eyes. _He doesn't look so dangerous._ She found herself thinking.

“I'm protecting you, Chloe.” he shrugged helplessly. “I swear, this is all I'm doing.”

He began to pace cautiously towards her. She stiffened and flattened her body against the wall behind her. “From who? From what?!” she yelled. “Stop moving!”

He did buthe was already right in front of her, a mere feet was separating them now to the point where she had to crane her neck to look at his face. “Relax Chloe, please..” he begged. “I am not an enemy.”

She stood immobile as a shaking hand came slowly, cradling the side of her face gently. It was as if he'd found her weakness. Upon his move, her knees wobbled and she found herself being in the cocoon of his arms.

“Why are you doing this?” she murmured, her head safely laid against his chest.

His arms tightened ever so-slightly and she thought she heard him sigh in relief. He audibly swallowed his emotion before talking again. “Because I swore to myself that I'd never give up on you.”

Chloe didn't know how long they stood there, in each other's arms and when she'd let her guard downbut she felt strangely safer than she'd been in weeks at the moment. She couldn't explain the conflicting emotions Oliver awakened inside of her and she had a feeling things were more complicated than they looked like but until then, she would be satisfied by the comfort his arms offered.

* * *

_**November 12th 2008. 10:52 PM UTC-6. Clocktower, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** _

His sharp intake of breath disturbed the quietness of the penthouse. He opened his eyes the next second and, without reflecting on what happened, knowing he fulfilled his task, he got up and started his way down the stairs.

His legs were still weak and he felt light-headed but there was the unmistakable feel of his strengths coming back with each step he took. Dropping down the last step, he already felt better. The sound of voices caught his attention, and he moved towards them with determination.

He found AC and Victor talking in the Green Arrow room, all the equipment deployed around them. Upon seeing him, AC stood up briskly and looked at him warily.

“What is it?” Victor asked in confusion until his eyes fell on Oliver Queen. “Ah.”

“Where is he? Where is Oliver?” his voice was still a little rough from his coma.

“Uh, he's with Chloe right now.” Victor announced.

Oliver's brow furrowed. “Chloe?”

“Yeah, he's protecting her from the beast.” AC chimed in, relaxing as he realized this Oliver wasn't dangerous.

As soon as he heard these words, the hair at the back of his neck rose. “Protecting her?” he whispered. “You mean he took her away from Davis?”

Victor and AC looked at each other for a moment. “Um.. yeah. Isn't that what we had to do?” he asked cautiously. “You told the other Oliver to protect her.”

“You fools!” The time-traveller exploded, waving his arms wildly into the air. “Don't you see it? Don't you get it !?”

As words failed the two men in front of him, Oliver pressed on. “He can track her down!” his scream echoed through the apartment for a moment, chilling the three men's blood.

“He will find her and kill half the city on his way.” Oliver announced miserably in front of his shell-shocked friends.

* * *

_****November 12th 2008. 11:03 PM UTC-6. Wyatt Plaza, Edge City, Kansas, USA.** ** _

Chloe woke up in a start, a gasp leaving her lips as her eyes opened suddenly. Her heart was beating wildly and she felt her entire body throbbing. For a second, she was submerged in the feeling until she finally noticed the arms wrapped around her.

Looking up, her eyes fell on a sleeping face that suddenly made the cloud lift from her hazy brain. She blinked rapidly, a strange feeling of foreboding settling in her guts as she began to shake him.

“Oliver.” he groaned slightly in response but made no move. “Ollie!” her breathing was now significantly harsher.

Her companion immediately reacted. Startled awake, his head flew up and their eyes instantly met. She realized he hadn't meant to fall asleep and didn't even know how they ended up wrapped around each other on the bed.

“Chloe...” he began uncertainly.

“You have to leave.” she said fearfully, her eyes wide. “You can't stay here Ollie.”

They were silent for a moment, looking at each other in wonder and confusion. “You know I can't do that, Chloe.” he shook his head. “I meant it when I said I wouldn't give up on you.”

She closed her eyes, a moan leaving her lips as her body kept throbbing almost painfully. “You don't understand, Oliver.” her voice sounded much calmer than she felt. She opened her eyes again and fixed him with an agonizing stare. “He is on his way here .” she murmured.

Oliver opened his mouth to answer butshe insisted. “I feel it!” She also knew why, Brainiac was preparing her body for him. Chloe now knew why she never spent the night with Davis. The alien android needed to have enough control over her to do that. Something he'd apparently just managed to do considering-

“Chloe, you know that's impossible.” he argued with his most reassuring voice and she almost believed him until a loud wail sounded outside, chilling her blood.

She could hear her own heart beating. “He's here.” she said, already shaking anxiously, fearing the moment the beast would show up and Brainiac would take over once again. Chloe gripped at Oliver's arms. “Leave now, please Ollie! He will kill you!” she couldn't help the sob leaving her throat as she begged him. _If only, If only he could take her with him..._

Oliver could only stare at her, swallowing visibly his fear of what was happening right now. Cupping her face in his hands, he did his best to soothe and calm her down before he stood up. Chloe kept begging him to leave as he was unable to fight the dread that had begun filling his mind as soon as he heard the scream.

Approaching the window cautiously, he dared a peek outside and froze in horror. The building shook and he felt on his butt, bewildered by the sight he'd just seen. A monster, an indescribable monster was standing outside right in front of the hotel. There were huge chunks of blood and body parts all over the street as he'd seen some survivors try to flee. Then, he'd seen the beast look up and for a second, for a horrifying second , Oliver had looked into the beast's red, murderous eyes and realized what was happening.

The monster wailed again outside. Oliver shook in terror.

Davis was here to stake his claim on Chloe, and he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who stood in his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There! I am back, finally! Now I can promise you regular updates since I have much more time on my hands to write. I intend to post at least one chapter a week (At least!).
> 
> So here we are, thanks for reading and as you know, feedback is greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and be back for more next time.


	12. Anything For Her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Chapter rating is NC-17 for sexual content (mostly to be safe) and graphic description of violence.

_' Your father is gone. And all the knowledge this Fortress ever held finally belongs to me. ' - Brainiac to Clark Kent, Season 8, Episode 11: "Legion"_

* * *

****November 12th 2008. 11:08 PM UTC-6. Wyatt Plaza, Edge City, Kansas, USA.** **

_The monster wailed again outside. Oliver shook in terror._

_Davis was here to stake his claim on Chloe, and he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who stood in his way._

It was a nightmare. It had to be.

Oliver was too stunned to rise from his spot and look outside again. What he had seen was enough. It wasn't even a beast out there. It was a monster. A frightening, blood-chilling killing machine with claws as big as human bones all over his body and these eyes, these red eyes...

So full of rage and so cruel. One look into those eyes and you would know, instantly, that this abomination was devoid of any form of pity or compassion.

He was made to kill and right know, Oliver seemed to be his victim of choice. Why? Oh yes, why?

_Because you're standing between him and Chloe!_

_Chloe._ His eyes widened and finally, Oliver was snapped out of his daze. He had to do something to protect her. He wouldn't let this animal touch her.

Moving towards Chloe, he dared peaking outside for a second, the hair on the back of his neck rising as he noticed the large patches of blood and... _meat_ all over the street but no beast, he noted with the closest thing to relief he could feel at the moment, no beast.

Turning his attention to the woman in the room, he noticed Chloe hadn't moved from the bed. She sat there, trembling and hugging herself, seemingly resigned to her fate. That she was so accepting to what would happen to her if the beast came up broke something inside him.

His control was gone, out the window as these thoughts passed over in his mind. He rushed to her side and grabbed her arm somewhat forcefully, shaking her a little as if it would make her see reason. “You are going to come with me.” It wasn't a question, otherwise he knew she wouldn't accept.

“No, Oliver, I cant!” she protested. “I'm doing this for you! I'm trying to save everyone,” he kept shaking her at her words. “It's the only solution, Ollie!”

“And what do you think he's gonna do to you Chloe? Huh?” Oliver yelled, panic rapidly growing within him. “Why are you so intent to live hell for us?!”

Chloe knew all too well what was going to happen. The ache between her legs was growing with each passing seconds and soon, it would be painful. She wanted to be sick, sick for what Brainiac was forcing her to do but apparently, the android wasn't even letting her be. He had full control over her body and it wouldn't be long before her mind fell to its hands. Then... she closed her eyes firmly, trying not to think about it.

“I don't have a choice Ollie,” she whispered, opening her eyes again to look at him for the last time, memorising his face. She hoped Brainiac wouldn't make her forget him. “Brainiac chose me and I can't fight it. I tried...” tears began blurring her vision. “I tried, Ollie but he's too strong for me. I'm sorry.”

Oliver shook his head vehemently, taking her face in his hands to make her look up at him. “You're supposed to be happy, Chloe.” he whispered. “You're supposed to be... to be with me.” There was a defeated tone in his voice that he hated.

Chloe swallowed her emotions as much as she could. “I wish I could.” she told him, her voice wavering. “I wish it with all that I am.”

They stood immobile for a moment, forced to accept the situation despite the part of them that yelled in their minds to run away from the beast, together. They couldn't do it. Alien forces had decided Chloe Sullivan was going to serve the purpose of Doomsday and to hell her relationship with Oliver Queen, to hell her entire life, her friends, her parents, her future... There would be no future, for anyone on Earth. They were _doomed_ .

They both shivered as they sensed the danger in the air. Their surroundings were eerily quiet after the storm brought by Davis outside and it scared them both. In a second the beast would blast through the walls, come up here, slice Oliver open and take Chloe away. It was inevitable...

Another loud crash was heard and the hotel shook violently, propelling both on the ground. _This is it_ , Chloe thought. They were past the point of no return. Just as she was about to tell him to run she heard voices outside.

The noises were muffled by the windows and the curtainsbut the daring and taunting edge in their voices caught both her and Oliver's attention. They listened the beast growl dangerously under their feet.

Davis was inside the hotel.

Rushing towards the window, Oliver pushed the curtains away so they could see who was trying to lure the beast out and why. Chloe gasped as she spotted the entire Justice League standing proudly on the other side of the street.... there was even the Green Arrow with them, she noticed with a start.

The latter seemed to have seen them because Chloe saw the vigilante point towards their window before giving his friends directives. The League split up and roamed closer to the hotel as the beast began walking out slowly, watching them with a threatening eye.

“Chloe! Oliver!” the Green Arrow shouted using his hand as much as he could to try to carry his voice over to them. “We'll distract him, run! Run!”

The couple watched the archer rise his bow towards the beast and shoot a sharp arrow in its direction. The animal whined in pain and emitted menacing growls. Chloe and Oliver looked at each other for a moment before they both bolted for the door.

Oliver's hands holding hers, he guided her down the corridor towards the back-door. It wasn't locked and left open ajar. Surely the staff had fled quickly at the sight of the monster. “Come on!” he pressed on as they ran out in the street, noticing the other Oliver motioning for them to go on their far right.

They obliged and found Oliver's SUV, the latter thankful he hadn't parked directly in front of the hotel.

“Ollie, I can't-” Chloe began but was cut off.

“Shh!” he ordered. “Don't attract his attention, we're leaving whether you want it or not!”

She didn't protest anymorebut it was evident her condition was becoming unbearable as she settled into the passenger seat. Oliver climbed in and drove away into the night.

* * *

****November 12th 2008. 11:29 PM UTC-6. In the streets of Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** **

The ride was spent in a tense silence as the car breezed around the streets at an impressive speed. Everything flew past in a blur around them. Chloe was feeling light-headed and gripped the leather of her seat tightly until her knuckles were white as she rubbed her thighs together. It was becoming too much...

Fortunately for her, the car came to stop in the Clocktower's underground garage. Oliver jumped out of the vehicle and rushed to her side. As soon as the door was open, she flung herself at him. Oliver had meant to reassure herbut his words were muffled as her lips came crashing onto his in a bruising kiss.

Surprised for a second, it didn't take too long for him to respond to her as she began grinding herself on him in a desperate manner. Her pelvis connected to his and she moaned in delight when she felt the growing bulge in his pants.

Any coherent thoughts left him as soon as she'd rubbed herself on him, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up the ground. Chloe enveloped his waist with her legs as their tongues battled each other's as if it was the last time they would be together.

Caught in the embrace, Oliver guided them as well as he could towards the elevator which would bring them up in his home for a night of passion and abandon.

* * *

****November 13th 2008. 12:03 AM UTC-6. In the streets of Edge City, Kansas, USA.** **

“You seen the size of that beast?” Bart exclaimed over the coms. “Man! We can't win against that thing!”

“I think Dinah's got the situation under control right now,” AC judged as he and his friends watched the woman use her scream to immobilize the colossus. It was on the ground, holding its hands over what would be its ears and seemed in pain.

“It doesn't seem that strong after all.” the Atlantean continued.

“...You seen what's going on around us?” Victor shot back incredulously, pointing to the severed human limbs all over the street. “He killed at least fifty people on the way here.”

“Man, I mean...”

Oliver Queen, dressed as the Green Arrow chose that moment to walk onto the scene after having watched from afar his double and Chloe leaving. “Everyone should step back now.” he advised wisely.

Being the only one knowing the full extent of the danger this monster represented, his peers listened to him and took a few steps back except Dinah who was using her last strengths to keep her scream going.

“He's right, soon Dinah's gonna lose her breath and then..” Bart deduced.

“...then the monster will be up again.” AC finished.

Dinah was beginning to swaybut Victor was watching intently the freak who was suspiciously trying to stand up, his hands weren't on his ears anymore he noticed.

“You got it wrong.” Oliver refuted their theory. He scooped up Dinah in his arms who stopped screaming at the action and carried her away from the beast quickly before setting her on the ground and making sure she could recover. “Davis is immune to everything we throw at him after a while. He can evolve.” he revealed gravely.

“Dude!” Bart's eyes were wide. “What can we do then?”

“We call in Clark to distract him.” Oliver exposed his plan. “And fast because-”

The beast was up again and lunged in the group's direction, they scattered away in a hurry while Victor managed to throw in a strong punch that sent the animal reeling back a few feet and earned them some time.

“This is serious shit.” the cyborg watched in awe the monster go for them again. “Arrow I'm calling in Boy Scout now.”

“Do it. We can't waste any time.” Oliver accepted. “Guys, it might be the most dangerous mission we'll ever have but... I need you to lure the monster towards Metropolis.”

“Metropolis?” AC shrieked. “You want to bring this thing to a more populated area?!”

“I know what it sounds like, I do not want him downtown.” Oliver explained. “Just bring him to the outskirts of the city to the west. I'll do the rest.”

“You're the man with the plan.” AC acquiesced.

“Let's do it now,” Victor cut in. “I don't want to have to look at him longer than necessary.”

They all wished themselves good luck and while AC, Victor and Bart drew the monster away, Oliver straddled his bike and zoomed down the same path his doppelgänger had.

* * *

****November 13th 2008. 12:52 AM UTC-6. Clocktower Penthouse, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** **

The moans could already be heard in the elevator as it brought Oliver up to the penthouse. He blinked rapidly at the memories it brought to him and started making his way inside. He had to go to the office at the end the corridor but couldn't help himself and walked up the stairs.

They were louder now, closer. Oliver knew what was going on behind that door and it both warmed his heart and twisted it as images of him and his own Chloe flashed in his mind.

_I miss you._

Opening the door slightly, he held his breath at the sight. She was there, naked, her head thrown back in pleasure as she straddled his lap and rode him. His hands were skimming over her marvellous breasts, caressing her in the way she wanted as he relinquished in the pleasure she gave him.

Each sharp breath she took as he thrust up into her fuelled him again and they both were oblivious to the erotic sight they made to an Oliver who came from the future to make it happen. The latter couldn't help sketching a faint smile. _Enjoy it,_ he thought. _I didn't have this chance._

She was with her Oliver now, out of Davis and Brainiac's clutches. She was in good hands.

Letting the couple to their own paradise, Oliver felt his heart lighter as he rode down the stairs, he was reminded of why he had slipped the ring in the future to come back in a time he didn't belong. He had done it and would do anything to protect his achievement. Right now that meant getting rid of Davis Bloome.

His lips pursed grimly, Oliver made his way into his private office. Taking the drawers out of their slides, he sought out actively the plans and blueprints he was looking for. _Where are they? Where are they?_ He wondered quietly.

Oliver removed another handful of papers out of the drawer until his eyes fell on what he was looking for. _Yes!_ He thought triumphantly. Looking over it swiftly, he nodded to himself unnecessarily. His mind was made up.

Rolling the blueprints together and folding them into his pocket, the Green Arrow walked out of the office, a determined bounce to his steps until he stopped as he heard the moans again. He stood immobile for a second, listening to their passion as if it could connect him to his own Chloe. He didn't want to leavebut he needed to.

He had a mission to accomplish.

* * *

****November 13th 2008. 01:48 AM UTC-6. Mansell Neighborhood, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** **

Clark was there when Oliver came back. He'd lost a little time locating the guards of the place where he wanted to bring Davis. He had had to knock out his own employees but at least, the man was going to be safe.

He was pleased to see Clark managing to keep the beast from doing any more damage but even through, the neighborhood was mostly empty of people, they were still attracting attention. How couldn't they? The beast was making one hell of a noise.

“Over here!” The Green Arrow yelled, getting the attention of the team as well as Davis's.

As soon as its red-eyes fell upon the form of the archer, fury was renewed in the alien monster and he lunged forward, attempting to grab the human. Fortunately, Clark was there just in time to push the monster away as Oliver dodged the large clawed hands trying to seize him.

Victor jumped on the monster's back and immobilized one of its arms. “What now?” he shouted as the monster tried to pry him off his back with his other arm until Clark grabbed it and forced him onto the ground. He was breathing heavily from the effort it asked out of him but held his ground as the monster was completely held down for a moment.

“What do you want to do Oliver?” Clark asked.

“It's simple.” Oliver said in an even voice. “I'll bury him.”

Clark's brow furrowed and Oliver could already hear the judgemental comment he was about to make. He was about to cut him off when the monster erupted from beneath the two men.

Clark and Victor were shoved away at an alarming speed, leaving Oliver vulnerable to the demonic giant who was now only a few feet away and had its sights firmly set on him.

“Shit, oh shit!” the archer swore and turned around to flee as the beast broke into a sprint behind him.

“Run!” AC's yell encouraged him, reminding him there was still him, Bart and Dinah close by.

Oliver's heart was beating wildly in his chest as he accomplished the run of his life towards a large construction site. Having just crossed the entry, he dared a glance behind and his heart missed a beat at how close the monster was.

It could almost reach him if it wanted. The thought spurred Oliver on faster. Out of breath and controlled by fear, he failed to noticed the uneven nature of the ground and stumbled for a few moments before completely dropping down.

His eyes widened as he turned on his back. The beast was in the middle of a jump onto him and Oliver scampered away as quickly as he could when an entire metallic tower crashed down onto the monster. Its inhuman form was covered and buried under the ruins of steel and seemed out for a moment.

Oliver let out a breath in relief.

“Boss, you alright there?” Bart asked from his side, his face paler than usual.

He blinked and stared at the teenager for a moment, realizing he'd been the one to make the tower fall thus saving him. “Thanks to you, I'm fine Bart.” Oliver's tone was breathy, he was otherwise unharmed. “We”re exactly were we need to be now.” he said, looking around.

The rest of the group arrived in a hurry. “Oh man thank god you're okay!” AC exclaimed.

“I never thought this thing could run so fast, that's scary.” Dinah piped in.

“We need to take care of him.” Victor rubbed his non-mechanical arm. “Or it's gonna end badly for us. Have you noticed he never gets tired?”

Just as these words were uttered, the beast stirred from under the heap of iron bars as if to prove his point. Bart took an instinctive step back. “Dude... now's a good time to tell us about your plan I think.” he proposed, his eyes firmly set on the remains of the tower.

“Wait a second.” Clark interrupted. The beast growled louder. “You said you wanted to bury him.” he stared at Oliver. “Is that your plan? Burying him?”

The other man pursed his lips. “Why, yes. I think that's the only solution we have at the moment. It'll do until we manage to kill him.”

“You think it will be enough to stop him?” Dinah asked as she looked down the large hole drilled in the ground in the middle of the site. “Looks deep.”

“It is deep.” Oliver nodded. “About three miles in. Plus the bottom was used to store nuclear waste which is similar to the properties of the kryptonite according to my scientists.”

The thin note of pride in the man's voice made Clark's eyes narrow. “You planned this from the beginning didn't you? You really want to kill him.”

The tense silence came upon the group as the beast's movements got more menacing by the second, the two men stared each other down. “Guys...” Victor eyed the metal warily.

He was ignored. “Clark what do you think I came back in time for? Play hide and seek with the monster from another planet?” Oliver ironised. “A planet which is yours by the way. This is your mess we're cleaning up here!”

“My mess!” Clark's jaw tightened. “How can you blame me for that?”

“Guys...” Victor tried again louder.

The archer approached the alien dangerously. “Have you asked Jor-El about the monster, Clark? Isn't that what you agreed on with the Oliver you know?” he asked calmly. “Hell, have you even rebuilt your fortress?”

Clark's silence was deafening.

“That's what I thought.” Oliver shook his head.

“Guys, the beast!” the cyborg exclaimed. The monster was beginning to stand up, rattling the metallic pieces together in a horrible racket.

“Step back! Everyone! This is why I blame you Clark!” the blond man roared as he walked towards a console. “Your priorities are so fucked up you don't even try to look up what could be the thing that kill us all!”

Clark took two steps forward as if following the archer before he stopped. “And what is your answer to that? Killing a living being? A part of him is still human!”

“Oh for Christ's sake, Clark!” Oliver exploded, turning around to point at him. “Had you seen what this thing has done in that street and what it wanted to do to Chloe, you would know it isn't human!”

“I can't let you do this, Oliver.” Clark gritted his teeth.

He shook his head and backed away towards the console once again. “I'm not giving you a choice.”

“Look out!” The beast finally dug itself out of his predicament and wailed in rage. The league ran away from the monster but Clark stayed immobile, ready to wrestle with it once again. He hadn't counted on Oliver activating a machine which ended up dumping a large load of liquid kryptonite on the monster.

“NO!” the alien yelled as he felt the effects of the poison seep into him because of his close proximity with it. He fell down and watched helplessly as the beast whined. It looked around wildly for a moment, waving its arms in the air as if fighting off an invisible force before one of its knees hit the soil in a strong tremor. The second knee followed soon after and it wasn't long before its entire body crashed and convulsed.

They all watched in awe the monster's dark carapace fade into flesh-colored skin, bones retreating back into the body of the animal with disgusting sounds and its terrifying mask morph into the human face of Davis Bloome.

Had they needed any confirmation of the double-identity of the paramedic, they would have gotten it now as they approached his unclothed and unmoving form cautiously. “Man, I don't even have words for it...” Bart said in awe. “It's...”

“sick.” Dinah supplied.

Clark coughed from the ground weakly. “Don't do anything to him!”

Bart looked at the alien for a moment, conflicted emotions on his face until Oliver stepped closer to them to examine Davis himself. “He's the only weakness of the monster.” he said. “I don't care about what you say Clark but I'm not going to let him threaten anyone that I love anymore.”

Davis stirred and Oliver pressed his foot onto his back to hold him down. “Oliver,” Clark begged. “Please don't kill him.”

He snorted. “Nothing can kill him.” he replied darkly. “His body becomes resistant to every weakness he comes across, he's the worst kind of thing because nothing will ever be able to stop him for long.”

“and what about Davis!?” Clark's voice was strained. “How do you think he feels?”

 _How do you think Chloe felt when-_ Oliver's eyes closed tightly, tears pricked his eyes. “Shut up, Clark.” he tightened his jaw. “Just shut up and let me do what I have to do.”

He looked up from Davis to his friends, glancing at every one of them until his eyes landed on the youngest of the group. “What would you do if you were in my boots right now?” he swallowed tightly, his eyes bare of any mask for a moment.

Bart gulped and looked from Davis to Oliver then glanced at AC, then Dinah, and finally Victor before settling his gaze back on their boss. “I... I don't know.” he admitted honestly, almost wanting to drop his gaze to the ground in shame.

“Sometimes we have to do horrible things to keep people safe.” Victor spoke up, followed by nods from Dinah and AC. “I'm sorry Clark,” he looked at the alien apologetically. “but the danger is too great. It is a case of necessary evil.”

They all looked at their leader. “We're with you.”

“You're all out of your minds!” Clark shouted. “Are you seriously considering that?”

Oliver lifted Bloome onto his shoulder wordlessly before grabbing a handful of kryptonite in his other hand. He moved ahead of his friends and stopped when he reached the edge of the pit. Watching its dark abysses for a moment until he felt Davis starting to move.

Letting him onto the ground, the other man looked up in surprise at him. “What is this? What is this?!” he began to scatter away from Oliver until the latter grabbed his ankle and dragged him back. “I didn't do anything, I swear! It was the darkness!” he pleaded.

“Oh, so you know.” the Green Arrow spoke up, his voice making Davis jump in surprise. “What do you think I'm going to do Davis?” he asked, nodding towards the pit as if wanting the other man to voice his thoughts.

He couldn't help feeling the dark satisfaction of vengeance as the human mask of the monster twisted in fear. There was a nasty edge to this sweet feeling and he knew it but after everything he'd witnessed, both in his time and this one, he didn't care.

“Don't kill me, please!” he cried. “I have a life, a job, a girlfriend!”

The last word triggered something in Oliver. “You live by day and kill by night.” he said harshly. “Your life is a joke! Your job gets your closer to your victims and your girlfriend is manipulated to get the beast out of you! She doesn't want you, she never has!”

His angry rant provoked the monster in Davis and he saw his eyes flash red. “Don't talk about her!”

The other man was having none of it. In a fit of rage, he grabbed his dark shades and threw them away, revealing his true identity to Davis whose eyes went wide. “You!” he exclaimed in surprise before barely controlled anger seized him.

“Me!” Oliver taunted him. “I'll make sure you don't get close to Chloe anymore, you won't hurt her or anyone else. I'll make sure you die!” he grabbed him by the throat, pulling him close.

“Chloe is mine!” Davis ground out every word.

Oliver released him, tightening his fist at his side. “She is never going to be yours, she isn't an object.” he replied gravely before the other man's face was hit by a single blow of the archer's hand.

The man hosting the monster was sent flying into the pit by the sheer strength of the punch and came falling down into the shadows in a blood-chilling screech. They didn't hear him hit the bottom, it was too deep. Yet, Oliver and his team knew the man wasn't dead or rather, he would come back from it just as he probably had many times in the past.

The quietness had fallen upon them after this confrontation. AC, Dinah, Victor and Bart watched the future version of their leader take deep breaths to calm himself, all the while wondering were his anger came from and what truly happened in the future.

Only one voice broke through the silence, demanding answers. “What have you done?!” Clark yelled.

* * *

****November 13th 2008. 08:34 AM UTC-6. Clocktower Penthouse, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** **

The first rays of the sun crept into the room, tickling her face lightly. Chloe sighed inaudibly, content to lie where she was for the rest of the day. She felt so comfortable and the exquisite feeling buzzing through her body helped greatly.

Nonetheless, as wonderful as her bed was, there were conflicting emotions battling each other in the back of her mind. She picked up on them fairly rapidly which, given her bed-ridden brain, wasn't usually an easy task to do.

That was when she felt another body shift around her slightly. Her brow furrowed. Had she invited Davis up with her last night? The thought lingered at the front of her mind for a moment as she racked her mind for an answer, she never got it. Frustrated, she decided to open her eyes and see for herself.

The face she saw wasn't the one she expected. He was blond, she noted, with spiky hair and a long, handsome face. There was a tugging in her head. He was still sleeping and somehow, as she looked around the bedroom, it didn't feel as alien to her as she thought it should be. The feeling of being in this stranger's arms was oddly comforting.

The tugging continued.

It was amazing, she felt protected, desired and cherished – loved, even – and he was still asleep. He was... surprise shot through her as the tugging stopped. _Oliver!_

Memories of the previous night came back, flooding her mind, she remembered what happened then. Brainiac had tried to take over her entirely, he'd manipulated her hormones to make her ready for the beast. Oliver had been there and the league too.

She sat upright all of a sudden. Had Davis been stopped? He had to be or else he would have found her again and - The thought of the other man triggered a painful headache, appearing out of nowhere.

Chloe let out a sudden cry of pain, jerking her companion awake as she held her head in her hands. It went on and on, seemingly unstopping as white pain flashed behind her eyes, she groaned.

“Chloe!” a man's voice echoed in her head. “Chloe, it's me! What's going on? It's your head isn't it?” he sounded panicked. “It's gonna be okay I'll just-”

Right that second, the headache was gone, like a light switch, and the cloud fell upon her brain once again. Her bleak eyes found the stranger's standing form once again and her eyes widened as she shot out of the bed, wrapping herself in the blankets.

“Who are you?!” she screamed. “Oh my god, what's going on here? What did I do?!”

She ran into the bathroom before the man had a chance to talk and locked the door behind her. Her hands shaking a little as a million and one thoughts rushed through her mind. The dominating one was that she'd hooked up with a stranger last night and cheated on Davis.

If he ever learned, he was going to kill her. She frowned. Oddly, the thought wasn't accompanied by guilt, instead, there was a powerful feeling of fear seeping into her stomach. If Davis ever learned what happened he would _really_ kill her.

All of a sudden, she didn't want to leave anymore, she just wanted to go back out there, cling to the handsome stranger and beg him not to let Davis touch her. She swallowed the lump in her throat, why were her emotions so messed up? Since when did she-

A warm, thick liquid fell from her nose, dripping down her face to land in her palm. Looking down, Chloe blinked at the sight of a black spot on her hand as the liquid kept trickling down her nose. She was bleeding, she remarked, and profusely apparently since the flow was growing.

“Chloe.” the stranger's voice startled her. He was behind the door. “It's just me, Oliver, I'm not going to hurt you, just...” he sighed. “Can you open the door so we can talk?”

The quantity of blood she was losing was frightening, her hand was now coated and surely enough, she felt extremely light-headed. It was becoming dangerous.

Making the decision to ask the man for help, she unlocked the door and took two weak steps into the room before her legs gave out and she was enveloped by strong arms just before she could hit the ground.

Two worried brown orbs locked with hers. “You're bleeding, Chloe!”

“I... don't know... what happened.” she whispered and moaned, the headache came back.

Her last memory before she blacked out was the one of Oliver yelling for somebody's help.

* * *

****November 13th 2008. 09:00 AM UTC-6. Clocktower Penthouse, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.** **

Everything had happened so fast. The moment Chloe fainted into his arms, Oliver's  doppelgänger had come barging into the place and called Clark. The alien's eyes almost bugged out of his head when he saw Chloe's condition and had made a point not to look at either Olivers in the room when the one from the future asked him to take her to the fortress and ask Jor-El to remove Brainiac from her brain. 

In a tense moment, Clark had accepted and whisked the woman away and up to the snow-covered lands where his father resided.

Less than half an hour later, they were back and Chloe looked infinitely healthier. The black liquid had been wiped from her face and it hadn't been long before she stirred and opened her eyes weakly. Every member of the team was there and Ollie had called Emil Hamilton who'd frowned upon the situation but immediately checked her up. After deciding, she wasn't in anymore danger but that she needed a blood transfusion, Bart had brought what was needed and Chloe soon found herself comfortably laid down on Oliver's bed with an IV in her arm.

“What a night!” Bart sighed and plopped down on the nearest chair. “I'm dead here!”

Dinah rolled her eyes. “Don't faint on us, too. We already have one fragile princess, that's enough for us!”

“Hey!” Chloe exclaimed in offence as Dinah smirked and winked at her.

“Ah, I'll just get some food for all of us and he'll shut up.” AC joked and walked out.

“Food?” the speedster was gone, tailing his friend the next second, making the rest of them chuckle after him.

The jovial mood of the group was broken by an irritated Clark. “I don't know how you can all laugh after what Oliver has done tonight.” he pointed righteously at the older one. “You killed a man.”

Before the other man could reply and worsen the situation, Chloe chimed in. “What happened?” she asked timidly.

“Well, while you and Ollie were enjoying yourselves,” Victor smirked as the both of them looked embarrassed and carefully avoided each other's gazes. “we were busy slowing down Davis – or rather the beast until Oliver dumped kryptonite on him and buried him in a pit used for nuclear waste.”

“Buried?” Chloe echoed. “Davis is gone?”

“Gone? Davis is dead.” Clark rectified. “And you killed him, Oliver.”

The time-traveller pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment. “I did not kill him, Clark. Even though that wouldn't displease me to do it, Davis is not going to die that easily.”

“Falling down a three-miles deep pit with nuclear waste in it and dumping more onto him, how could anyone survive that?” the farm-boy countered harshly, staring him down.

“You more than anyone should know not to trust appearances.” Oliver's voice rose in anger. “Davis is a kryptonian monster designed to kill and is virtually invincible to anything because he has the ability to adapt! Your future self told me that!” he explained harshly while Emil Hamilton listened to the conversation with interest. “You would have known that too had you asked your father earlier!”

“I had to save Chloe!” Clark came closer to Oliver. “Contrary to you, I don't kill nor want to kill anyone. How do you think your parents would react?”

Both Olivers tensed. The older one gritted his teeth. “You son of a --”

“STOP!!”

They both broke apart and looked, startled at Chloe who was watching them with wide eyes. They softened at the sight of her but Oliver looked away after a moment.

“I know I've been out of the game for a while because an alien supercomputer was playing skeet shooting with my memories but...” she swallowed and gave them a small hopeful smile. “Things can't have changed that much since then, right? I feel like I just walked into the twilight zone.”

Her smile disappeared when they both evaded her eyes. “Oliver.” she said quietly. “What happened in the future for things to be so... bad between you and Clark?”

The older Oliver's gaze stayed locked with hers for a moment, as if unable to look away. “I.. I..” he cleared his throat and glanced out the window. “The beast, which apparently is also called 'The Ultimate Destroyer” by Jor-El had managed to tear apart most of Kansas and we'd lost you, Dinah,” he looked at the woman in question, apology clear in his eyes. “And you too, Vic.”

They both gaped at him and Oliver had to swallow the lump in his throat to continue. “Clark thought he could fight the Destroyer alone and got beat pretty bad.” The alien frowned. “In the end we managed to freeze the monster in Antarctica where nobody would be able to go.”

He chuckled mirthlessly. “The worst was... it wasn't even dead, just frozen.” Oliver shook his head. “Anyway, the danger was out of the way but we had had too many causalities. Losing you two guys was already too much and,” he watched Victor and Dinah, they all saw the unshed tears in his eyes. “and none of it would have happened if you had rebuilt the fortress sooner Clark.” he fixed the man with a harsh glare. “We would still have Vic and Dinah and all the civilians! And nothing would have happened to Chloe! She...” 

He swallowed hard several times, unable to fight the lone tear slipping down his cheek. Chloe sat up higher, her interest clear but she saw Oliver fight off his emotions and she barely contained her gasp when he glanced at her for a second, the devastation in his eyes tore at her. He eventually looked at them all apologetically.

“I'm sorry, I just need to...” his voice trailed off as he walked out of the room quickly and almost ran into Bart and AC who had stopped in the entryway to listen to him. They looked at him in shock and stepped aside to let him go.

They wouldn't get anymore answers today, nor in the following weeks because their savior walked out of the penthouse and boarded Queen Industries' private jet to Star City. He was gone in the span of an hour.

* * *

****November 13th 2008. 06:00 PM UTC-6 (12:00 AM Local Time). Arctic Tundra.** **

It occurred at midnight, precise, like clockwork. The freshly rebuilt 'Fortress of Solitude' was about to undergo a massive reorganization without the knowledge of Kal-El. Yet, the virtual image of Jor-El's mind-waves knew exactly what was going to happen.

Its advanced system had just identified a foreign presence inside the console itself. A presence bearing the well-known sign of the House of Zod. Brainiac had infiltrated the Ice Castle.

Investigating the issue, Jor-El's virtual mind instantly deduced it happened the moment the Brain InterActive Construct had been purged from the young woman's mind that Kal-El had brought here.

Chloe Sullivan.

The android was supposed to have been destroyed at this instant but, by an ingenious subterfuge. He'd found a way around the protocol and slipped inside its weaknesses, thus infecting the entire edifice.

“My son, my son...” Jor-El called vainly, already losing his capacities.

The contamination had just begun. “Your son?” a deceptive voice echoed around the crystals of the only remaining representation of Krypton. “Your son is destined to fail.”

Inside the console, a small _black_ matter moved to the closest crystal on its own and polluted it, ingesting every  data present inside and recoding them to serve Brainiac's purpose. 

“Soon, a new age will dawn on Earth,” The hominoid drone boasted proudly as he fed himself with the power of the Fortress to find his original strength back. The entire edifice was suddenly bathed in the dark shadows brought by the deceitful computer.

“An age of _power_ , strength...” Two piles of black liquid loomed from the ice of the ground and began to shape into a human body. “...and the fall of the House of El.”

In the span of half a minute, the face of the Brainiac rose from the abysses of death just as the Kryptonian symbol of destruction appeared at his feet.

Milton Fine looked over the castle, a dominating glint in his eyes. He knew he'd won, the Fortress was under his control now and he was more powerful than ever.

“Doosmday is coming!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the closing stages with only three more chapters to go. Then it will be the end of the FIRST story of this series (there will be eight of them, remember?). 
> 
> Special thanks to Malugargula and Eenzz for their comments on AO3!


	13. Morituri

_'You're not Davis Bloome. You're not even human. You were hatched by Kryptonian geneticists. Your DNA was designed to adapt to any world you inhabit. Now you no longer need your camouflage abilities.' - Brainiac to Davis Bloome, Season 8, Episode 11: "Legion"_

* * *

**December 9th 2008. 04:41 AM UTC-6. 'Jackie Stewart' Residential Lot, Topeka, Kansas, USA.**

The shrill ringing of a phone abruptly disturbed the calm of the night in the Luthorcorp-owned luxury house reserved for the firm's executives when they were in the state's capital. Currently, it was Regan Matthews who was the content guest of the villa... at least until his slumber was disturbed by a misplaced phone call which woke him up in the middle of the night.

Still bleary from his sleep, Matthews descended the stairs slowly as the annoying sound continued. He grumbled moodily and picked up his pace, his steps faltering a little when he caught sight of an old black telephone sitting in the middle of the coffee table in the living room.

He hadn't noticed that earlier. Regan shrugged, it might be a piece of originality to lift up the spirit of the room. It looked like the kind of model you could find in the 1950s or 1960s.

Pushing all these thoughts aside as the ringing pressed on, Regan grabbed the receiver which lifted with a characteristic ' _click_ '.

He cleared his throat, his voice a still bit rough. “Hello?”

There were only faint statics on the other end of the line. “Hello?” Regan tried again. “Hello? Anyone there?”

Nothing. He sighed and hung up, nonplussed. He was going to walk away, mumbling incoherent insults when the phone rung again. Regan growled and picked it up again. “Hello?”

Still nothing. This time, Regan began suspecting it might be someone trying to make him a nasty joke. He seethed between his teeth and put the receiver down a bit forcefully. He didn't even have time to turn around that it rung again.

Regan picked it up immediately. “HELLO!”

The statics continued, then: “ _... Mr. Matthews?_ ” a grave voice asked politely.

Regan was a bit thrown when he heard the voice. “Yes?” he replied warily.

“ _Mr. Regan Matthews?_ ” the voice asked again.

“Yes, it's me --”

“ _Mr. Regan Ari Matthews?_ ”

This time, Regan was silent for a moment wondering what this person wanted. “Who is this?” he demanded, irritated.

The other man was silent for a moment before Regan heard two successive pings as if a finger was tapping the microphone rhythmically. “ _A package is on its way to Tess Mercer's domicile as we speak._ ” the voice finally spoke. “ _I suggest you stop it... if you don't want your secret to fall out in the open. Who knows? Your boss might not want to hear you tried to kill his successor._ ”

Regan's jaw dropped to the ground, stunned. How did this man know anything about his hit on Tess Mercer, who was he? It wasn't possible, it had to be a nightmare.

“Listen!” Regan half-shouted into the receiver of his phone. “I don't know who you are or what it is you want but you have to know that you're messing with the wrong person here! I can--” The man on the other line had hung up without saying another word.

“You.. bastard!” Regan yelled into the old phone and flung it away in anger.

“Ouh,” A shadowy figure said from behind, startling him. “Such a nasty language for an educated man like you Mr. Matthews.”

He immediately felt the sharp blow to the back of his head that sent him reeling on the floor. He passed out. Yet, as if under supernatural circumstances, he instantly woke up and found himself tied to a chair in a featureless dark room.

In front of him, an imposing white man dressed in an 1980s style of pinstripe suit was watching him, the upper part of his body entirely hidden in the shadows. Disorientated after these strange events, Regan failed to see the man's hand rise and crash against his cheek.

The slap drew a cry of pain out of him. “Where is Lex Luthor?” The same voice from the phone asked.

Regan mumbled something. He was slapped again, cried out once more and spat a bit of blood before replying. “I don't know!”

“Lie!” The man shot back and slapped him again, a bit harder this time. “Last chance: Where is Lex Luthor?”

“I told you, I. Don't. Know!” Regan yelled. “He's always moving and he only notifies me when he wants to find me!”

His interrogator was still for a moment. “Why Mercer?” he eventually asked.

Regan frowned. “What?”

“Why did you engage a bounty on Tess Mercer?” he repeated, his language similar to the old military register.

The Luthorcorp executive passed his tongue over his bruised lips to soothe the pain. “She stole what should have been mine to begin with!” he raged, tugging vainly against his ties. “Lex made a mistake hiring her, she can't be trusted!”

“What did she steal from you?” the voice asked calmly.

“My job! My fucking job!” Regan shouted. “I should have been Luthorcorp's CEO after Lex was gone! Me! Not her!”

The other man kept silence and Regan had a suspicious feeling that he as being studied. “Why choosing Martin Keamy then?” There was an incredulous tone to the question albeit, well hiddenbut it was still there.

Regan swallowed and shook his head. “He was the most skilled in his domain. No one escaped him, he always did a neat research on his targets.” he explained. “I should have known he had an agreement with Lex!”

“Agreement?”

“A fucking agreement!” Regan yelled at him. “Lex clearly told him Mercer couldn't be hurt! That redhead bitch found a way to make him too soft on her and he doesn't even realize his mistakes!”

The other man made a reflective sound. “So you want to hide the fact that you wished your employer's mistress death?”

“Yes!” Regan seethed.

“Lex Luthor is a hard man to fool, as it seems.” Regan could hear the smirk in his voice and it irked him to no end. However, before he had the chance to jab at him, the room twisted, spiralled and it all went black before his eyes.

* * *

Regan Matthews jerked awake from his bed, beads of sweats running down his forehead as he took several harsh breaths to calm himself. Looking around, his eyes wide, he recognized the bedroom of the Luthorcorp house in Topeka and let out a relieved sigh.

A nightmare, it had only been a nightmare.

His relief was short-lived. Regan's head whipped towards the bedside table on which his phone had suddenly started emitting a sharp ring. Regan's heart beat loudly in his ears. For some reasons he had images of an old phone instead of the modern one currently sitting at his side.

Gulping, his hand reached for the phone and brought it to his ear. “Yes?” he asked, almost dreadfully.

“ _...Mr Matthews?_ ”

“Yes?”

“ _Mr. Regan Ari Matthews?_ ”

* * *

**December 9th 2008. 05:03 AM UTC-6. Metropolis General Hospital, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.**

Rats. They were everywhere in the sewers, it was their home. A place where no one would kick them out because they didn't care as long as they didn't see them. The only human contact this vermin had was with the occasional visits of the city's maintenance service who had become accustomed to the animal presence so long as they didn't get too close.

A group of them were screeching as they approached a large dark shadow sprawled on the concrete not even two feet away from the torrents of dirt and filth washing down the tunnel. They smelled, listened and hissed as they got closer, well intent to know if it was food for their hungry little stomachs.

The sight of a city rat was poor at best. Yet, this imposing sack of meat was hypnotizing for these animals and they ran closer to it in anticipation until their senses noticed an irritable feeling on their skins all of a sudden. They froze for an instant, focusing on the feeling and pondering whether or not it was a potential harm.

They were still for two minutes until, without any notice, they turned around and fled as fast as they could. There was an odd feeling of dread in the tunnel as the large shadow moved, a human arm extending to support the weight of a body.

It coughed and hissed in pain, its skin glowing unnaturally. The sound of gasps and harsh breaths immobilized the rats who now were witnessing the rebirth of a monster.

Davis Bloome stood up slowly, his eyes blank for a moment until a trickle of blood ran down his forehead into his eye. He used his hand to wipe the liquid away and, half-standing half-crouching, began to move.

He didn't think, he didn't feel. He just followed his instinct. It wasn't long before he found himself climbing up an encased ladder and push a manhole cover, moving its heavy steel to the side so he could poke his head out.

Now, Davis was becoming vaguely aware of the dark alley around him, it was small and empty but a door on the side caught his eye. An emergency exit of the Metropolis General Hospital.

He blinked. The surroundings had changed, he was in a sterile, dimly lit corridor now. The ammoniac hung low in the air, tickling his nostrils. Glancing behind, he saw the emergency door which had been burst open from the outside, there was an evident dent of human size on it.

He coughed and closed his eyes. There was the unmistakable feel of wet tiles under his feet. He smelled the humidity in the room and opened his eyes again. His mind was coming back now.

He was in a public shower. The one used by the employees of MetGen, he remembered. He wanted to reflect on the fact that he was in this place in the middle of the night without a clothe on himbut the thought of the warm water covering his battered body was calling to him.

He stepped towards the closest spray and activated it. He couldn't hold back the sight of pleasure he got from the water as all the dirt and dust cascaded down his back.

All too caught up in the wonderful feelings he was experiencing, he failed to notice the other presence in the room. Somebody was watching him very closely, a neutral expression on their face.

“I think more than one human would be lucky if they survived what you have endured.”

Davis's head jerked up at the sound of the other voice, sharply turning around, his eyes fell on the form of a stranger. “Who are you?” he asked and was unable to recognize the raspy timber which had replaced his voice.

The other man ignored him. “You are contaminating the entire hospital without even noticing it.” he said, a smirk appearing on his lips. “You are going to do even more damage in the close future but _this_ , will be a taste of what is coming.”

Davis's brow furrowed, his mind buzzing all of a sudden. “What are you talking about?”

A blank look passed the stranger's eyes for a moment. “I detect a level of 7,000 sievert in your body. This is impressive.”

The paramedic's medical formation kicked in. “I'm irradiated?” he panicked.

“Oh yes!” the stranger confirmed. “I'm even surprised you absorbed so much gammas, you are 573.49% above the fatal exposure levels to a human being.” he replied clinically.

The taller man whimpered. “My god, I'm gonna die!”

“Oh you already have, Destroyer.” he said. “Many times.”

 _Destroyer_ . The name reanimated the beast inside him. “Who-- what..” he wanted to ask him who he was and what exactly he was boasting about but words failed him.

“My creators deemed me a sole designation: The Brain InterActive Construct... most commonly shortened as Brainiac.” the android explained. “I am very much like yourself. In factif we were both human, we could be considered brother entities.”

“What the hell is this?”

Brainiac went still for a second, studying him. “I'm impressed.” he finally said. “You managed to believe you really are Davis Bloome.”

The paramedic looked at him as if he were crazy. “I am Davis Bloome!”

“Don't tell me the thought that you weren't human never crossed your mind.” Brainiac replied sceptically. “You are the product of a mix of DNAs extracted from the most adaptive and ruthless species of Krypton. You, like me, are a unique experiment serving the purpose of our father.”

“Father?”

“ _Zod.”_ Brainiac smiled coldly. “I am reminding you of your past and you still keep this stunned expression on your face. Who did you think was Davis Bloome to begin with? It isn't human. Davis is an imitation used to hide your true self in plain sight. A camouflage.”

“I don't understand.” Davis said, defeated. “I remember everything in my life, I help people as a job, I found myself an amazing woman-”

“Chloe Sullivan.” Brainiac interrupted him. “There was nothing real about your connection. I was inside her head the whole time, your attraction to each other was the result of a program I ran. She was there to ensure your reliability in case you somehow shut down in a permanent state.”

“Where is she, now?” he was having enough of the non-sense this 'Brainiac' was spewing.

“Oh that doesn't matter anymore.” Brainiac moved in front of the doors, as if sensing, the other man wanted to leave. “She failed at her task, she is of no use to us now.”

“I need to see her!”

“What you need,” Brainiac cut off. “is to come with me and start your transition. You already have lost too much valuable time playing the nice little human.”

Davis took a step back. “Stay the hell away!”

Brainiac approached him dangerously. “You have no free will.” he announced. “You will spend three months in the chrysalis and you will come out as what you are destined to be: Doomsday.”

Davis backed into a corner, crouching and shaking his head in disbelief. “No, no!”

“You are destined to betray the race who adopted you as one of their own.” Brainiac reached him and forced Davis to look him in the eye. “I am here to make sure that you destroy this planet.”

“Why?!”

“We need it to be reshaped to host the second Krypton and house our father.”

“I can't do this.” Davis whispered.

Brainiac smirked. “Davis can't but Doomsday will. This is in your DNA, _you are made to kill_ .”

Half a second later, the showering room was empty and no one sensed the radiation seeping between the tiles and into the canalizations of the hospital, slowly but surely infecting the people inside.

* * *

**December 9th 2008. 07:24 AM UTC-6. Clocktower, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.**

Oliver Queen stood still in the middle of the garage, watching the closed elevator stressfully from afar. Around him, there was nothing but the black SUV his younger self had used to drive his Chloe away from Doomsday, the series of fifteen identical Green Arrow motorcycles – he always kept a lot of spares just in case – also, round the corner was parked the obligatory limousine, always driven by his chauffeur, along with the three other generic cars he liked to use or let his friends use when they needed to travel quietly around the streets of the city.

In fact, the only bit of eccentricity in this place was a perfect replica of a Formula One race car, the McLaren MP4/4 which had brought Ayrton Senna to his first World Driver Championship title in 1988. Another remnant from his father, a great fan of the sport, to which Oliver clung onto just as much as everything his parents had left him. The car in itself was a beautiful mix of avant-garde engineering and raw performance, a model of invaluable price.

Yet, to the young billionaire, this car had a much more important sentimental value because it had been shipped to Star City after being assembled in Woking, England and signed by Senna himself exactly one month – to the day – before his parent's passing.

Oliver had brought the car with him to Metropolis in 2006 because he couldn't conceive the idea of not having it in his garage.

Looking around himself, Oliver noticed the familiarity of this place to his own, the one from the future. He just had to close his eyes and pretend, for a second, that he hadn't gone back time, that Chloe was safe, that his team - his friends - were all okay, and that Davis Bloome had never existed.

He just sighed and moved forward, towards the elevator. It was useless, foolish even, to play the pretending game. It had happened, all the horrors of the future and he'd made it better. His work wasn't done in the present but he'd completed a largepiece of it. It wouldn't bring him back home but he wouldtake solace in the fact that these past versions of him, Chloe and their friends were going to be much happier than he'd been.

The lift was now carrying him up to the penthouse where, he knew, the other Oliver and probably Chloe too were staying. On the way, he reflected on what had brought him to this very moment.

One month. It had been one month since his last outburst with Clark in front of all of his friends, the one he'd walked out of, emotionally damaged from the reminder of what he'd lost. For, ever since the moment he'd first slipped on the Legion ring and came back time, everything had happened so fast he hadn't had time to realize the full extent of his actions.

That moment, as Clark had berated him about his parents, demanding to know what had happened in the future, it had all come crashing down on him. The grief, the emptiness, the tears. He'd just lost it and fled. Boarding his private jet and flying to Star City and, for the first time in nineteen years, he'd found himself inside The Mansion that had housed his childhood with his parents until the day of their death.

He'd gone to the backyard, walked through the unmaintained trees and bushes and reached the small pond in the private property. There, he'd stopped, his gaze landing on the bench where his father had once proposed to a young and very much in love Laura Steele who would become a happy Laura Queen a year and a half later.

It was a fallow park, left to its own devices at the time, owned by an old landlord who didn't have the strength and will to manage the huge, bare field. Once they'd found it, both Robert and Laura adored the land on sight. As soon as his father made his first dollars, they'd bought the place from the landlord and built a large yet modest house they'd always jokingly referred to as 'The Mansion' because of its size and distance from any other habitations.

Twenty-six years later, their dear son, Oliver sat down on this very bench. He was immobile for a moment, his eyes unseeing as they roamed over the pond until he finally sighed. That was the moment the dam broke. His entire body sagged and he'd let his tears run down freely from his eyes. Crying for hours, needing to release his emotions, he couldn't stop himself. Sad, broken and alone in the land of his parents.

It had been dark by the time his tears finally dried. He came back into the house and spent the next hour walking inside, stopping at every room as a piece of memory came back. Sometimes, it would ignite a smile on his face, other times, it would simply tear at his heart. He finished the tour, feeling almost like an automaton as he sat down against one wall of his childhood bedroom and passed out, exhausted from his own emotions.

The next day, he woke up very early, sore from his uncomfortable spot and drove straight for the city's cemetery. There, on his parents' grave, he did something he'd never done before. He talked to them; about how much he missed their presence, that he'd never forgotten them, on the contrary, they were always in his mind.

He also shared with them his recent achievements in life. His team, friends that he almost considered like family, with Bart being his favorite as he always felt a brotherly pull to the youngster. Finally, it came to the wonderful young woman he was in love with, the way she'd captured his heart without even trying or knowing and how much he wished he could present her to them, that they'd love her almost as much as he did.

Oliver eventually realized he was telling his parents about everything he'd lost, that he'd never get back, just like them. He was a broken man but a man with a mission nonetheless. A mission which, once accomplished, would bring him back to his Chloe, he hoped, in a world where they would be together forever at last.

He'd be with her again, finally, and his friends and them, his parents, Robert and Laura Queen. It made every pain he'd endured until then bearable which was the reason why, one month later he was back again in Metropolis to carry on the last act of his plan.

The elevator stopped with a characteristic metallic thud. Oliver took a deep breath. He was here. Pulling the grate to the side, the sight of the Metropolis penthouse filled his vision. Nothing had changed since the last time he was here.

Background noises caught his ears and he turned his head just in time to see Chloe emerging from the kitchen, a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. She froze upon seeing the visitor.

Oliver's chest tightened just like everytime it did when he looked into her eyes ever since he slipped on the ring. They stood still for a long moment, just looking at each other before she made the first move. Letting down the mug on the nearest surface, she hurried towards him, wrapping her arms around his tall figure, burying her head in his chest.

“You're back.”

The muffled sound of her voice stole his breath away, and he found himself overcome by emotion. Even though this Chloe wasn't his, she was still the same blonde spitfire he'd fallen for and he couldn't help his emotional reactions when she was around.

Oliver found himself even more moved when his double appeared round the corner from the same spot where the woman in his arms came from. Upon seeing his older self, Ollie's jaw dropped open and he approached them slowly, as if he was dreaming.

Upon his arrival, Chloe untangled herself slightly from him and extended her hand towards Ollie, offering him a wavering smile. The younger man took her hand and laced their fingers together, looking back at Oliver.

“Where were you?” he asked softly, finally finding his voice. They'd imagined the worst you he took off.

The man from the future swallowed to wet his dry throat, his voice barely above a whisper. “With Mom and Dad.” he replied simply, shrugging a little.

It was enough. They soon found themselves wrapped in a tight hug, the three of them. Glad to be reunited once again and hopeful for the future.

* * *

**December 9th 2008. 08:10 AM UTC-6. Luthorcorp Plaza, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.**

Tess sighed as she turned over another page of the agreement contract in front of her. It was still early in the morning but she'd beenin her Metropolis office since dawn, trying to catch up with the Luthorcorp related work she'd let pile up during her absence.

It had been almost a month since her kidnapping at the hands of Keamy and subsequent release by the leather-wearing vigilante known as the Green Arrow. She was thankful to both men actually, the first one for opening up her eyes about Lex and the second one for setting her free.

She hadn't been back at work until yesterday because of the shock it had been when she realized what the man she'd always admired truly was. A manipulative monster. Ever since then, she'd been extremely wary of her surrounding, always feeling like she was being watched.

Tess Mercer might be freebut she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was never good when Lex Luthor was hiding. To her, he was nowhere and yet, everywhere at once. It kept so much pressure on her shoulders that she was becoming paranoid. Even fearing to elaborate any kind of evasion plan or revenge.

She was so caught up in his web that she found no way out and it was eating her up from the inside. She'd been extremely jumpy lately, stressed beyond anything she'd ever experienced before. Sometimes she even nursed dark ideas of committing suicide so she could finally be free. It always seemed like the only way out of Lex's clawsbut she couldn't do it.

Ending another person's life wasn't an easy thing to do but ending your own was impossible, at least to her. So, the redhead was waiting. For what? She didn't know exactly; maybe she was hoping for Lex to come back and shoot her straight between the eyes or that she'd become desperate enough to put herself out of her misery.

 _I should never have looked for him!_ She berated herself. Tess knew she must have pissed him off by blatantly organizing researches in hope to find him. He never wanted to be found, he wanted the world to think of him dead and she was the only thing preventing him from that.

What were his reasons? Why did he want to stay hidden? She didn't know. To be honest, she didn't want to know because nothing about Lex was ever a good thing. She should have just stuck with her job, played her part naively and she wouldn't be in the situation she was now.

Maybe if she apologized...

The sound of heels clicking loudly against the marble of the floor startled her. She almost jumped out of her skin as her eyes noticed a large woman dressed in a black suit. Behind her, in the entrance, was a huge bodyguard silently ordering Tess's assistant to keep quiet by his own presence.

The woman walked into her office and closed the French doors behind her. Fixing her with an inquisitive stare, she approached her desk slowly. Tess took a long moment before snapping out of her stupor and schooling her features.

“To what do I owe this interruption, madam?” She questioned the stranger in a neutral tone as her mind was spinning. “I hope for your sake that you know exactly where you are.” she threatened thinly.

The woman didn't bother hiding her actions as she pulled out a tiny device from her pocket and turned it on. It emitted a charging noise for an instant, then shone a green light. She put it on her desk neatly without breaking her stare.

Finally, a cynical smile from her aging lips broke the stillness in the room. “I hear you've been beating the odds quite a bit in your young existence, Miss Mercer.” she eventually spoke up, her voice abhorring a noisy tone so easily used to command people.

“Not that it surprises me that much, your file is full of remarkable tales.” she began relating her many experiences. “Enduring an abusive and violent adoptive father, graduating from Harvard at the age of 17, surviving massive burns in Honduras helped only by the intervention of one Lex Luthor who admitted you in one of his experimental projects which saved your life, and so on... I'm even skipping some interesting parts like meeting Oliver Queen on a desert island?”

Tess stayed muted in awe as the woman hummed. “You've had an exciting life so far, shall we say.”

The redhead's voice failed her on several occasions. “...what.. how do you know all of this?”

The stranger's smile widened. “It is my job to know all about potentially dangerous people.”

“What? You think I'm dangerous?” she gaped at the dark-haired woman.

“Like most unique people, you have dark edge, Tess.” the intruder replied. “I am not here to bother you, though. I just want to enlighten you.”

When Tess kept glaring, she continued. “I'm sure you've stumbled upon an impressive number of illicit projects ran by your former employer and probably still active today.” Tess stiffened at her words. “Project Mercury, Project 1138, Scion, Intercept, Gemini, Ares... _33.1_ ”

The redhead's eyes widened at the last one. She hadn't heard of it. “Okay,” she began, rubbing her temples. “You've made your point. Now what do you want?” she dropped any pretence of calmness and her anger began surfacing to hide her fear.

“Your employer wants you dead.” she said. “Mine doesn't.”

Tess raised a suspicious eyebrow. “And who would be your employer?”

The woman smirked, straightening up as if she were going to leave. “The Uncle Sam, of course.” Slipping a card out of her pocket, she slid it on her desk gracefully, watching her in the eye. “We would love to have you among us, Tess.”

Then, she retired. Walking purposely towards the doors only to glance back at her once her hand found the handle. “Give me a call when you're ready.”

With these words hanging in the air, she left. Tess looked in amazement after her before her gaze dropped first on the device the stranger had left and then, the card. There was the logo of a black and white chess mat in a circle on it and she read:

**AMANDA WALLER**

**+41 385 311 131 2 [05]**

**(One Time Use Only)**

* * *

**December 9th 2008. 08:36 AM UTC-6. Luthor Mansion, Smallville, Kansas, USA.**

Regan burst through the mansion's doors in a frenzy, a silenced Beretta 92F hidden under his black overcoat. He could hear his heartbeat drumming through his ears as he pushed forward, avoiding the corridors used by the employees out of instinct. He reckoned that they shouldn't be out of them at this time of the day.

He felt it again, this urge to protect his secrets. The one that had made him kill Martin Keamy the night Mercer had escaped him. After this first attempt, Regan hadn't tried to reiterate because Lex was back in business again and would know what was happening behind his back.

So he'd let it go and brushed Keamy's death as a retaliation from one of the mercenary's old jobs. It had worked well so far. Until a maniac decided to call him in the dead of the night to tell him he'd sent the evidence of his implication in these dark plans to the mansion.

Tess wouldn't waste too long connecting the dots and from there, Lex would know and it was going to be the end for him. Nine years of hard work for the Luthor heir gone in a few hours because of a simple phone call. He couldn't let it be.

Controlled by his own fear, Regan rushed through the ballroom, his expensive shoes creaking with every step. He hadn't had time to prepare himself for this. As soon as the call was over, he'd jumped into his car and zoomed to Metropolis. To hell his assignment at Topeka for the week, it was a life and death situation here.

The package had to be stopped before it reached Mercer. Or else, she was going to die, hence the pistol. Regan surely wouldn't regret it but it was going to be hell trying to pass her death as something else. Lex would want to know and Regan was going to have to think about a solid story very soon.

He already acted as though Tess had already read the letter. She probably hadn't received the mail by then but Regan wouldn't tell himself that mailor no mail, if Tess was here, she was dead.

The mansion was very large and Regan found himself cursing it for once because it was only slowing him down to breeze throughthe house using dark corridors, trying not to be spotted. Alas, the office was in sight, the double doors shut.

In a minute, he would know. His hurried footsteps echoed through the hall and he soon found himself bursting through the only wall between him and Mercer, his face a mask of madness. Rising his gun just as he rushed in, Regan had at least enough control over himself not to yell at the bitch to die.

Surprise colored his feature all of sudden and he froze on spot. Theoffice was empty. He stood stupidly, looking aghast at the entire room, his brain refusing to process the fact that Tess wasn't there. He had wished her death so much that the fact that she wouldn't be there hadn't even crossed his mind.

_What day is it? Shit! It's Tuesday, of course Tess would be at the Metropolis office!_

Cursing his lack of reflection, Regan was however quick to get back on track. If Mercer wasn't there, it didn't mean the package wouldn't be. Hurriedly looking through the day's mail piled up on Tess's desk, Regan made a mess of it until his hands encountered the large brownish envelope with only one sentence scribbled on it: _To Tess Mercer._

 _I got it!_ He thought triumphantly before scratching it open furiously, pulling out a large sheet of white paper. His enthusiasm was short-lived: there were only three words printed on the paper:

_You were fast._

“Fuck!” he shouted and threw the papers away in anger. He'd been played. The maniac from the phone had just played him! His anger was such that he needed to punch something, anything. Gripping the edge of the desk tightly, Regan let out a slow breath to try and calm himself. He couldn't make a scene here, not when he shouldn't even remotely be in the area.

Nodding to himself, Regan promptly fixed his mess and arranged the entire office to look just like it had before his intrusion. Pleased with himself, the Luthorcorp executive sighed in relief and started for the door. With his hands on the handles, he was going to push them open and make his way out silently when a hand slipping on his shoulder almost made him jump out of his own skin.

He barely suppressed his own scream as he turned around and found himself face to face with the one and only Lex Luthor. Regan could do nothing but watch his employer with wide fearful eyes. Had he seen what he'd just done?

Lex was studying him with a critical albeit mildly amused eye. “What are you doing here Regan?” he asked quietly.

The other man swallowed tightly and recomposed himself. “I.. huh” _An emergency, there was an emergency!_ “There's been an emergency at Luthorcorp, hm,” he coughed nervously. “The deal with _Petroli Consortium_ , it huh, it just fell short. I'd just arrived to try to fix this.” He just prayed Lex would buy his bullshit for once.

Regan couldn't have been luckier. Lex as it was, already had a lot on his mind. After barely surviving his last encounter with the Green Arrow, he'd had to deal with making the lab at the Reeves dam disappear and erase any connection it had with Luthorcorp and himself.

Yet, as much work as it had proved to be, there was something else. Something much more worrying. “Okay, you better fix it.” he ordered absently. Luthorcorp business was far from being his front preoccupation at the moment and the company his father started was just going to be a backing for Lex in the next future. His reign as a CEO was well and truly over, he didn't want the title back.

“I was looking for you, as a matter of fact.” he said gravely. “We have a situation.”

Regan gulped, not daring to hope. “What kind of situation?”

“The alien kind.” Lex replied, passing him a freshly printed picture taken from a street camera. “Milton Fine is back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Lex is back again, he's been on and off since the beginning but he's not the focus of this story. That'll come later (soon).  
> Until then, we have two more chapters and the Brainiac/Doomsday issue to resolve. What about Tess/Waller/Regan in all of that? Well you'll see! :)
> 
> Special thanks to Malugargula for commenting on AO3 and sharonpijl on FF.Net.


	14. Doomed Skies

_'There are more important things in this world than what I want, and what I love.' - Oliver Queen, Season 6, Episode 11: "Justice"_

* * *

**December 21st 2008. 03:29 AM UTC-6. Ivan's Field, Smallville, Kansas, USA.**

The night was darker than most places at Ivan's field. Light-torches had to be used to see clearly enough in order to do the job. The place was miles away from any  habitationbut its remote characteristic wasn't what had drawn Lex Luthor here. 

He stood tall, towering over the workers digging into the dirt. His expensive clothing seemed out of place when Lex was surrounded by clandestine workers who hadn't changed clothes since they'd crossed the border for the simple reason that they had no spares.

He looked down on them condescendingly, all the while gripping the large book in his hands tightly, anticipation filling his being. There was a reason Lex had told Regan to reunite a group of people who surely wouldn't be able to tell anything in this field in the middle of the night. It was all part of his plan.

When Oliver had destroyed the lab at the dam, Lex had been forced to revise his position and decided to go to the other end while crossing a few lines along the way. It didn't matter. The fate of the entire planet was at stake and Lex Luthor would to anything to protect his habitat.

Besides him, Regan clasped his hands together in his front of his mouth, exhaling warm air to heat them up. The fugitive billionaire would have noticed his right-hand's uneasiness if he wasn't so absorbed into the possible revelation he could make in this field.

Imagine the greatest alien threat ever created in the universe had landed on Earth with the sole purpose of annihilating it and every traces of life on it as well. According to Lionel Luthor's memoirs, such was The Ultimate. A virtually invulnerable being whose rage was greater than that of the gods of antiquity. 

Now, there were two ways to get rid of this threat: either trust a group of annoying and unreliable people who called themselves 'heroes' or, find the only weapon capable of killing the monster for good and use it. The second option obviously seemed more appealing to Lex.

Efficient, safe and quick. Such was the way Lex Luthor wanted it.

 _And exclusive._ A familiar feminine voice grated in his head. _You want all the credit for yourself, Alexander_ .

He was about to ignore the voice and focus on the memoirs of his father once again when one of the workers began waving around agitatedly, speaking in quick Spanish and attracting his peers towards the hole he'd dug into the ground.

Lex nodded to Regan who trotted towards them, pushing a few workers out of the way until the rest of them scampered away as the billionaire paced slowly, not quite daring to hope what he could find in that hole.

Regan's hand plunged into the soil and fumbled around for an instant before a look of surprise crossed his face and he glanced at Lex. The triumphant glint in his right-hand's eyes was enough to tell him he'd found what he was looking for.

Yet, his satisfaction soared exponentially when Regan lifted a shining piece out of the ground and handed it to him carefully. Lex raised it in the air and, under the cloudy sky of December, flashed his torch into it.

The golden gleams of the rock reflected onto his face and a slow, deliberate smirk formed onto his lips. He had it, the weapon that would protect the human race. The tool that would make him a hero.

Lex Luthor the savior of the world.

Deciding to savor his upcoming success later, Lex pocketed his rock and made a sign to Regan who understood the message. Seconds later, as the bald-headed master walked away quietly, Regan Matthews pulled a silenced gun out from under his overcoat and squeezed the trigger several times.

The cries of surprise and fright of the clandestine workers were quickly muted and, soon enough, a number of seven dead bodies laid on the ground. Regan looked behind him and motioned for two trusted goons to bury the corpses at this very spot before he, himself dug up the rest of the gold rock from the ground and joined his employer awaiting him in his black sedan.

Minutes later, the two goons climbed into the vehicle and the four of them drove away, leaving their morbid and ruthless act go unsuspected into the quietness of Smallville's landscape.

* * *

**February 15th 2009. 09:42 AM UTC-6. Clocktower Penthouse, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.**

Today was Sunday. A rare day of relaxation for Oliver who had assumed his younger self's alter ego since he came back from Star City over two months ago. It was a win-win situation for everyone. Oliver needed a distraction to keep his mind off his grief, Ollie had more time off to take care of Queen Industries especially after his repeated absences due to Green Arrow related work while Chloe was reassured to know Ollie would be safe for the time being even if it didn't stop her from worrying about his time-traveller double.

All in all, things were quiet. They had spent the year's end celebration together with the team and while Clark had been invited, the alien had opted out. Chloe could see the rift beginning to appear between the League and her friend, especially between the two Olivers and Clark. She wasn't sure what to do about itbut it was definitely something she was trying to fix. 

Chloe had also wanted to get Lois in on their celebrations after she'd gotten confirmation from everyone – but Clark – that it was okay to trust her with their double identities. She'd almost done it but at the last moment her cousin had pulled out as the Daily Planet had assigned her a job on the imminent end of the Iran-Irak conflict in Middle-East.

The petite blonde couldn't hold it against her cousin to try her best at her work especially after Lois had genuinely told her how sorry she was and that someday she'd make it up to her. That day hadn't arrived yetbut Chloe knew it would even if she didn't need grand gestures from the people she loved. 

Both cousins had the chance to be together for at least one evening when Martha Kent came back in town from Topeka for the festivities. They'd been invited to share a meal at the Farm with Clark and his mother. Even Ollie had been invited. In fact, the dinner was tense at the beginning which was to be expected if you put Oliver and Clark in the same room after everything. Yet, as Clark was more angry at Oliver's future self than him, things had cooled down after an hour or so. Provided, Martha's warm nature had helped the young people relax and enjoy the evening.

The rest of the meal had been much better even if Chloe had noted how uncomfortable her cousin and Clark seemed whenever they stood close to each other. She suspected something had happened and was worried because it wasn't Lois's type not to share this kind of things with her. Chloe would have wanted to keep an eye on Loisbut the later had been busier than usual after this evening.

Lois Lane had currently her mind set firmly on her career and once she'd achieved what she wanted from her job, she would let herself relax and think more about her friends and family. That was the way Chloe knew her and she understood it even if she couldn't help the ache in her chest everytime she thought about the Daily Planet.

When Lex had fired her it hadn't phased her that much at first because Chloe had seen the degradation of the newspaper happen in front of her eyes ever since the billionaire had bought out the company. That was until Lex disappeared and Tess took his succession. To the blonde's surprise, Lex's so-called protégé had turned out to be very different from what she'd imagined. They'd yet to meet and Chloe wanted to know her even more after Ollie told her he was once involved with the redhead. 

From afar, Tess Mercer looked ruthless and cold to Chloe which was the reason she'd been surprised when Ollie had explained how different she'd been in the past and how much at fault he was for her current behavior. Chloe had reassured him it didn't change her opinion of him at all and that Tess might be jadedbut it was her choice to hold a grudge against him or not after all this time. 

Jaded or not, Tess had brought the freedom back to the Planet, proving to Chloe her difference with Lex on that matter and even if Lois remained suspicious, her cousin hadn't found anything shady she might be involved with.

It didn't matter though. Chloe had agreed to be Watchtower full-time for the team almost a year ago and she'd respect that engagement. It might hurt a littlebut the Daily Planet was in her past and she couldn't dwell on it now.

Because even after the quietness of the last few months, They all knew Davis had found a way out of the nuclear pit Oliver had thrown him into. Doomsday was still out there. The team was keeping an attentive eye out and Chloe was intensively looking for any news related to gruesome murders committed by an unknown animal every day. Nothing had come up. She didn't know if it was a good or bad signbut the fact that Davis was nowhere to be found was making her uneasy. He could pop up from anywhere one day and surprise them all. It could end very badly for everyone. 

Chloe forced herself to clear her mind and stood up from her chair in Ollie's office, putting an end to her researches about Davis for today before walking in the direction of the kitchen. Ollie was out jogging with AC and would be back soon with the groceries for their breakfast.

Crossing the corridor, Chloe's eyes fell on Oliver sitting in at the kitchen's island. He rubbed a hand over his face tiredly and she frowned.

“Hey.” she said softly, not wanting to startle him. “You're up late. Everything okay?”

The Oliver from the future heard a note of concern in her voice and he watched her move to the counter and grab a coffee mug. “I've been feeling more tired than usual lately.” he admitted. Oliver was usually an early riser and didn't need that much sleep as he was used to his busy lifestyle. Yet, he could feel his body starting to loosen up and today was the first time in a very long while he'd woken up this late.

There was a reason for that and he wasn't sure he wanted to tell Chloe the truth but, the moment she looked at him, worry in her eyes, he knew he was a goner. “I talked to Emil about it and we decided to do some tests.” he said. “Turns out it is an after-effect of my time-travel.”

Chloe's interest was piqued. She turned the coffee machine on and sat on the island across him. “How so?”

Before Oliver could answer, the sound of the elevator echoed through the penthouse before a voice sounded. “I come bearing food... and coffee!” a warm voice exclaimed.

Chloe's face broke into a grin and she stood up as Ollie arrived, two large bags at his sides. He grinned as he spotted her. “Hey.” he said before leaning down and kissing her lightly.

Chloe kissed him back. “Coffee you said? I might just keep you.” she quipped before grabbing one of his bags and start to store the food in the fridge.

Ollie chuckled and shook his head while his double watched them with a soft smile. He couldn't help seeing himself and his Chloe when he watched them and even though his chest tightened every time it happened, he was ecstatic for their younger selves. They were his salvation, almost like a father projecting his happiness on his children. It was a weird thought considering he was technically only nine months older than this Oliverbut it was the way he felt nonetheless.

Chloe and Ollie were focusing on their friendship first and even if they said they wanted to take things slowly, they weren't fooling anyone. Oliver, with his insight, understood where they were coming from and enjoyed seeing them trying to figure out how to handle the sudden change in their relationship after their very first night together. The two were sleeping in separate bedroom for now, wanting to build their relationship on a good basis and forgetting the fiasco that had been Brainiac and Davis. _Good for them._ Oliver thought.

“Hey there buddy.” his double said. “You look tired, everything's alright?”

Oliver sighed and extended his arms. “Come sit down.” he motioned to the two chairs in front of him across the island. The couple in front of him exchanged a worried glance but complied. They sat close to each other, Chloe's hand finding her companion's as they both looked at the man across them.

“What's wrong, Oliver?” Chloe asked softly.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I've been complaining more and more about how tired I feel lately.” he started. “Emil made me go through every test possible and he found nothing. Literally nothing.” he said. “But I feel myself losing my strengths and that shouldn't happen so he and I think it's linked to the fact that I used the time-travel ring.”

Ollie pursed his lips. “I'm not sure I'm going to like where this is going.”

Chloe watched him sideways but said nothing as Oliver shook his head. “It's not good, yeah.” he admitted. “We all know that after what I did I changed the timeline and my world doesn't exist anymore so I've become some sort of... anomaly, and this is probably killing me slowly to try to rectify the problem.”

“What?” Chloe gaped. “You can't die, not now, not after everything!”

Oliver smiled humorlessly. “It was never in my plans to still be alive in this time.” he explained. “This kind of disease is not a problem for me because I don't want to keep on living but it might just be if I don't get to kill the beast fast enough.”

“You want to die.” Ollie concluded in shock. “I...”

“Look.” his double interrupted solemnly. “I never told you exactly what happened in my future and I didn't want to but I think you need to know the truth or you won't understand.”

He lifted the time-traveling ring from his pocket and Chloe looked at it warily. “Where does it come from exactly and how did you know it could go through time?”

Oliver looked detached from the situation as he explained. “At the time it was mid-july 2009 for us and Clark was visited by this band of kids.” he recalled with an incredulous chuckle. “They claimed to be from the 3009 year and that 'Kal-El' was in danger of being killed by the monster inside Davis.” his eyes had a far-away look as he continued.

“In fact we already had trapped him into Antarctica about six months earlier and we thought he'd frozen to death here.” he said. “But he wasn't dead and was on his way back to Metropolis already. The kids were there to warn all of us of the danger. We already had lost Vic and Dinah by then so we were all pretty affected but to me things were worse.” suddenly, his face abhorred a pained look.

His eyes shifted on the couple in front of him. “You remember the night the monster came for you Chloe and you guys had your first time together?”

They nodded, enthralled in his story. Chloe hadn’t realized she was holding Ollie's hand tightly in hers.

“You were lucky.” he declared, setting his eyes on Chloe. “Things weren't so good in my time. In fact that night, I hadn't gotten you away from Davis like Ollie did.” the apology was clear in his eyes as much as the tears he refused to let go of. “Brainiac had full control over your head and you...” he swallowed hard, looking away for a moment. “When Davis arrived you just... spent the night together.”

Chloe's face literally blanched at this moment as Ollie's chest was tight.

“There was nothing you could have done.” Oliver reassured. “Brainiac's hold was strong and he continued to keep it that way until months later we found out who Davis really was and that you were pregnant.”

“Oh my god!” Chloe gasped. She felt like she was going to be sick.

“Yeah...” Oliver looked down for a moment, wiping at his eyes. “I called Clark to get Brainiac out of your head but Davis interposed himself and transformed. That was when Dinah was killed. She was distracting the monster just long enough for Clark to speed you away and he just... she died on the spot.” he said.

“We needed to get him out of the city so he couldn't kill any innocent bystander but we weren't prepared.” The stress came in his voice as he recalled these events. “All we could do was to keep him busy until Clark came back and whisked him away. We managed to do itbut Vic lost his life there. Davis was charging at a group of civilians and he tried to stop him knowing what it would cost him.”

Oliver cleared his throat. “In the end we had lost two of our own but Clark found a way to trap Davis into the ice and things in Metropolis quieted down. Well... not for us it didn't.” he said. “Chloe... your pregnancy wasn't normal. We cleared Brainiac from your mindbut you still had the baby – if we could call it that.” he added bitterly.“You woke up almost every night screaming in pain after the seventh month. It was horrible and I couldn't do anything.”

Chloe and Ollie were clearly affected by his words.

“The sonograms and ultrasounds didn't reveal anything out of the ordinary though so Emil didn't know what to do.” he paused for a moment. “When we reached the ninth month and you went into labor, everything went to hell.”

His face fell into his hands before he looked up, pain etched on every fiber of his voice. “You died in labor. The baby had killed you from the inside and it wasn't a baby. I saw it, I was there. His skin was grey and dark and he had these... claws all over him. It was a second Doomsday.”

Chloe's eyes were wide with fear, the tears falling freely from her face as Ollie hugged her tightly, his eyes shut.

“I'm sorry.” Oliver said. “In fact, Brainiac wanted to have a second beast out there in case the first one failed somehow.” he explained. “When I saw all of this, I couldn't believe it. Chloe, when Vic and Dinah died I was broken.” he whispered. “But then I lost you too and I just couldn't cope with it.”

“I remembered the kids and their rings. Clark had told me they'd given him one so,” he said. “I went to his barn and turned it from the grounds up to find it and I did it. I already knew what it would cost me and all of us but things were already doomed for us.” he said. “So I used the ring and came back before Brainiac forced you with Davis. That way, you are safe and Vic and Dinah are still alive.”

When he finished his story, Chloe and Ollie hadn't moved but Oliver could see the tight jaw of his doppelgänger as he held a sobbing Chloe into his arms. “I had to do it to save everyone but honestly, I did it for you, Chloe.” he admitted, a lone tear slipping down his cheek. “I couldn't live without you. You understand now? I can't stay alive, I'm destined to die just like my world. I just want to kill Davis before it happens.”

Chloe disentangled herself from her companion arms and walked over the island to grab Oliver into a fierce hug as Ollie followed her steps. “I love you.” she sobbed, wiping at her tears before turning back to hold Ollie's hand, looking him in the eye. “Both of you.”

Ollie's heart felt like it was going to explode, his breath left him for an instant. “I love you too.” he murmured, his eyes wide as he stared at her.

She gave him a sad smile and turned back to his double. “Oliver, I can't imagine what it must have been like and you did the right thing so I'm proud of you for that.” she said emotionally. “I don't want you to diebut we can't force you to stay, I just want you to know that your Chloe would be so proud of you for what you did. I know it because I am.” 

Oliver's lips wavered as he looked down at her, he was on the verge of tears. “Thank you, thank you.” he whispered as he dropped a caring kiss on her forehead. “I love you too and..” he let out a wet breath. “I don't-- I just... you guys don't waste your chance okay?”

Chloe turned back towards Ollie, their gazes locking. Their arms went around each other as Oliver watched them, the small smile on his face said it all. “I went through hell to give you that, live on for me okay? Even after I'm gone, I'll still be there with you both.”

“We won't forget that. Ever.” Ollie said sincerely, exchanging an honest look with his doppelgänger.

The world stood still for the three of them at that moment. It was just them in their own bubble, out of the frenziness of society and the rules of time-travel. It was quiet, soothing and safe... just perfect. 

Although, just like every flawless thing in the universe, it didn't last. Oliver's cellphone beeped once, breaking their moment. He fumbled in his pants pockets to grab it and read the screen, a flash of reminder in his eyes as he suddenly looked up to Chloe and Ollie.

“I've got to go.” he said simply.

Ollie watched him with a raised eyebrow. “What are you gonna do?”

“Huh, let's just say I've got to meet someone and I'm going to be really late if I don't leave know.” he expanded, holding up a hand when his double was about to talk. “Don't worry, you'll know what I'm talking about when I come back.”

“Ollie,” Chloe ran her hands over his arms. “It's okay. He'll be back.” she whispered.

They locked gazes for an instant, sharing thoughts in the way only they could. Oliver took his cue and backed away slowly. “I'll be there tonight, no one will see me.” he added to reassure his double who had been the one to assume the identity of Oliver Queen for the public.

Ollie just nodded as he mated his forehead to Chloe's and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the elevator carrying his older self down towards the open world.

“Penny for your thoughts?” a soft voice asked him.

He sighed and opened his eyes. “I feel like the luckiest guy in the world knowing that you love me, and also the saddest because he's going to die soon.” he admitted, referring to his double. “I just... it feels like he's a part of me, you know? It was weird in the beginning, now it's like he's always been there.”

“I know.” she murmured, nudging his nose with hers. “It's because he's always been with us. He was in you.”

“Yeah...” Ollie agreed.

“He is you.” Chloe insisted. “He just has memories of a future that will never be thanks to him.”

His arms tightened around her body instinctively. “I'm not going to let anyone hurt you anymore.” he promised.

Her tender smile was the only ray of hope he needed in this moment. “My very own white knight, my, I'm over the moon right now!” she grinned.

He chuckled. “White? You do realize I'm wearing green leather just about every night out there and scaring the bad guys in the streets, right?”

Chloe laughed and rose on her tiptoes, wrapping a hand to the back of his neck before musing their mouths together in a kiss which quickly escalated into much more. She was left breathless as they parted. Chloe rested her head on his chest, ear against the strong thumping of his heart.

“We should do something for him.” she eventually said, breaking the silence.

“We should, shouldn't we?” Ollie agreed.

“Mm-hmm.” Chloe looked up at his face once again. “He said he's coming back tonight. Why don't we invite the team and give him a great surprise? You know, like a goodbye party.”

“Well,” Ollie closed the gap between their faces to a mere inch. “I think that's a great idea, he deserves that, at least.”

Chloe gave him a bright smile. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked, confused.

“For being kind to him and for not giving up on me.” she said, gazing deeply into his eyes. “I love you.” she stressed. “I really do.”

Ollie smiled. “I love you too.” he replied before closing the gap between them.

* * *

**February 15th 2009. 10:58 AM UTC-6. Metropolis Police Department, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.**

A tall man walked across the large corridor, passing by every enclosed offices on his sides. His hoodie thrown back as a cap and large dark shades hid most of his face, no one seemed to pay attention to him as he proceeded to find the office in which the receptionist had told him he'd find the man he was looking for.

The Metropolis Police Department was housed in the old city hall, the former mayor having opted to move his offices to a state-of-the-art eye-catching structure that probably looked attractive to a lot of people and yet seemed to lack the cachet of the old-era building.

The officers' section was on the first floor, each bureau separated from the other unlike the open-space environment the lower-ranks were working in. While the detectives and agents would work in a space strangely reminding him of the Daily Planet bullpen, the sergeants and lieutenants had an entire floor in which quietness was the norm.

Names passed by him as he walked past each door. _Alesi, Chandhok, Fittipaldi, Herbert, Jackson, Jones... Jones!_

He stopped, pivoting abruptly, making his sneakers creak against the linoleum of the floor. The sound drawing the attention of the man in the small room behind the door.

“Come in!” his kind voice called before the visitor even had the chance to knock.

The man was cautious to close the door after letting himself in before removing his apparel, revealing spiky blond hair and chiseled features.

John Jones studied his character for a minute. “Had I know I would be receiving Oliver Queen into my office today, I would have made sure my colleagues knew about it before then.” he said in greeting, shaking the other man's hand.

Oliver raised an eyebrow. “Color me surprised, you didn't strike me as the bragger-type.”

The policeman chuckled. “I never had the opportunity before,” he admitted. “I have to say I very much enjoy these human customs.”

The billionaire's jaw parted in surprise. “I take it you're an alien.”

“Mr. Queen, I might be very straight-forward here,” John leaned over, dropping an eyebrow on his desk for leverage. “Don't you remember Black Creek? We've never been formally introducedbut I always thought you would remember. Then again, you seemed very shaken.”

“Oh,” Oliver rubbed the back of his neck. A year and a half old memories came back to him and he was once again reminded of the nine-month asynchronism between his being and the world he was living in.

Shooting Clark while trying to get Chloe out of Lex's clutches seemed like an eternity ago for Oliver. “I'm very sorry sir, so many things happened since that day.”

“I know.” John replied quietly. MPD was currently frenetically trying to contain and resolve the case of MetGen's irradiation in which fifteen people had already been declared infected. The FBI had wanted in on the matter and there was little the commissioner could do to prevent them from stealing their show.

J'onn J'onzz, born a inhabitant from the red earth, didn't know what to think of the blatant lack of cooperation between the local and federal police forces in the United States. Another strange part of the human culture he would decide to adopt or to reject later.

“You seem to have the weight of the world on your shoulders, Oliver.” he commented in concern. “I may call you Oliver, mayn't I?”

“Please do.” Oliver nodded as he noted the strange use of the lieutenant's words in the back of his mind.

The other man smiled warmly. “In that case Oliver, you may call me John or J'onn, whatever gets your favor.”

“Is there a difference?” the younger of the two asked, genuinely curious.

The alien simply chuckled. “None that you can hear but,” he drew a sheet of paper from his desk, scribbling on it. “J'onn J'onzz is my true name, John Jones is its phonetic equivalent. It simplifies my integration in the society of Earth.”

Oliver looked down at the two forms of John's name on the paper and nodded, a bit taken aback by his interlocutor's openness. “Why are you telling me all of this? You don't even know why I came to find you.”

John fisted the sheet and threw it to the waste-bin, his face a mask of apologies. “Excuse me, Oliver, it has been a long time since I was able to talk to someone from whom I didn't have to hide.”

“Okay but you don't know me, why are you trusting me with your origins?”

The lieutenant pursed his lips. “When I came to save Kal-El in Black Creek, one of my abilities was telepathy.” he explained. “I was able to read your mind which is why I didn't neutralise you after you shot him. Because I knew you were a good man.”

Oliver couldn't help being astonished by these revelations. Alien matters always gave him headaches. “Okay.” he said slowly until the older man's words were fully processed in his brain. “You said _was_ .” he noted.

“I did.” John confirmed. “As of now, my abilities have left me. I'm as powerless as a human of Earth, no offense.”

“None taken.” Oliver reassured. “but seriously, what happened?” This news wasn't good for the billionaire who had counted on Jones' abilities to help his team in the future. Especially against Doomsday.

“It comes to my body's composition but, to make it simple,” John exposed. “After you shot him, Kal-El was dying. His only hope was being in contact with the power of the yellow sun. It healed himbut it stripped me from my powers.”

“What? You can't get them back?”

“Notunless I go back to my home planet, Mars.” John shook his head. “Which, given the situation is unlikely to happen.”

Oliver nodded and looked down for a moment, absent from the conversation. “I'll see if I can help, somehow.” he said, finally.

“You're very generous, Oliver.” John accepted. “But don't make a priority out of me, it seems you have many more issues before that.” he said after noticing the other man's pose. “Why did you want to meet?”

The time-traveler sighed, looking straight into John's eyes. “I hope you're not in a hurry.”

The policeman shook his head, a kind smirk on his lips. “I have all the time in the world.”

And so Oliver began retelling his story to the Martian. From the moment John left Black Creek with Clark in his arms to the last fight against Davis which saw the paramedic being buried in a large nuclear pit owned by Queen Industries, just out of the city. An hour or so later, John Jones had absorbed every word out of the younger man's mouth and his brow was furrowed deeply in worry.

“This is worse than I thought.” he said gravely. “Jor-El had told me many times of the danger a creature called 'The Ultimate' could presentbut I thought Zod hadn't been able to send it to Earth after he was sentenced to the Phantom Zone by the Ruling Council of Krypton.”

Oliver smiled sadly. “You're talking Chinese.”

However, John's warmth was replaced by worry. “I'm sorry.” he said almost absently as he racked his brain. “Brainiac must have played a part in that plot. Ever since his corruption, Zod has always been two steps ahead of us.” he said, tapping his chin thoughtfully before jerking his head up abruptly. “Oliver! If Davis Bloome meets with Brainiac, this is the end for us. He will bring Doomsday out of his shell and stopping him will be almost impossible!”

“Yeah I get that.” Oliver nodded, the atmosphere in the room dark and heavy. “You understand now where the radiation at MetGen come from?” he asked. “It's my fault.”

“No, Oliver we can't blame you for that.” John refuted firmly. “The nuclear waste was the only way to stall the monster within Davis. You couldn't have thought that he would go straight to his place of work after digging himself up.”

“I don't know...”

“Self-reproach is unnecessary, I can assure you.” John put a gentle hand on the other man's shoulder. “You did what you had to do. A pragmatic man, this is what you are Oliver.”

“All the more reasons I have to stop Davis sooner rather than later.” The blond replied.

The dark-skinned officer sat back in his chair. “I understand that you want to protect your love and your younger self from this creature.” he said. “I understand that on the deepest level. But this monster, even if slowed down by Davis will kill you. Only physically superior beings can stop The Ultimate such as Kryptonians. And even then, they might not be able to kill it.”

“I know we need Clark, but isn't there a way to get rid of it once and for all?” Oliver asked. “You know Clark, he would never kill a living being.”

“Kal-El believes in a strong moral code which is honourable.” John complied. “And this isn't even the issue. Jor-El's knowledge about the monster is thinbut he is certain of one thing: The Ultimate has died many times but he always comes back. Killing it is useless, we have to trap it.”

Oliver snorted bitterly. “We tried that before, in Antarctica, it didn't work.”

“I'm talking about a different kind of trap: the Phantom Zone.”

“What? You want to send it there with Zod?” the human looked sceptical.

“We don't have much of a choice. This prison is our safest option.”

“But haven't people escaped from there before?” Oliver shot back. “What's telling us it won't happen again?”

John went silent for a moment, then shrugged helplessly. “Unfortunatelyonly time will tell us.”

The younger man leaned over, burying his face in his large hands in despair, exhaling loudly. A flash of light caught the Martian's eye. He noticed the odd ring on the other man's finger. In normal conditions, John would have attributed it to another strange custom but there was something different about this.

“Oliver...” he started quietly. The other man didn't even stir. “Can I ask you where you got that ring?”

The billionaire's head lifted slowly, a glint in his eyes as he looked down at the Legion ring. Shock filled him all of a sudden and he sat straighter on the chair. “John!” he asked quickly. “The sun has an expiration date right?”

The policeman was surprised by his companion's outburst but nodded. “Like everything in the universe, why?”

“When? When will it die?” Oliver demanded.

“In about 4 and a half billion years if I recall correctly but--” his eyes widened when he saw the triumphant grin on the other man's face. “You want to send Doomsday in the future.”

“Will it die then? I mean the sun is a big thing, if it explodes it should destroy everything close to it, monsters included.” Oliver almost fumbled with his words as excitement and hope filled him.

“I think that if every cell in The Ultimate's body is pulverised it could die and never come back.” John theorized. “An explosion of a supernova like the yellow sun should be hundred times more than enough to do just that.”

The blond's shoulders began to shake as a spontaneous laughter took hold of him. Soon, he was openly laughing leaving John unable to decide if he should be smiling or concerned. “We've got our plan then.” Oliver wheezed. “It's gonna work.”

“Do you realize someone will have to activate the ring in Doomsday's proximity? Your plan isn't fully figured out yet.” John intervened. “I mean it's a good one, but you will have to think it over a bit more.”

Oliver ran a hand over his face, his eyes settling on the clock on the wall for the first time today, his eyes widening as he noticed the time there. “It's okay John, we will do that.”

“We?”

The billionaire smiled at him with the force of the youth. “Even without your powers we need someone like you.” he said. “What do you say you come with me now and we'll meet with my team then you'll decide if you want to give us a hand?”

John couldn't pass such an offer. “With pleasure.” he smiled.

* * *

**February 15th 2009. 07:15 PM UTC-6. Clocktower Penthouse, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.**

“I think I'll have to command something.” Oliver said as he took his cellphone out of his pocket. “Since Bart is in town I'm pretty sure we've had to refill the fridge a dozen times a week.”

“I'm impatient to meet him.” John smiled.

They both were on the way up to the penthouse as Oliver drew the phone to his ear. None of them had realized they spent so much time trying to find a way to stop Davis that they missed lunch and it was now well into the evening.

Oliver chuckled. “Trust me, once you met him you'll regret it for the rest of your life.” he joked.

John shook his head, his grin widening. “You've made him sound intriguing all of a sudden.”

They chuckled just as the elevator came to a stop. “And there's not only him, I'll call my team, see if we can all arrange something tonig\--”

“SURPRISE!”

Both men were startled at the sight of the large group of people in front of them, all wearing welcoming grins on their faces. “Oh my, I wasn't expecting that.” Oliver beamed.

“Hence the word 'Surprise', duh!”

Oliver laughed and pointed at Bart. “John meet our Speed Devil, Bart Allen.” he introduced. “Guys, this is John Jones, he's a friend.”

“Is that a handgun I'm seeing here John?” Dinah moved forward, introducing herself. “Police Officer I take it?”

“Oh yes, I forgot!” John tapped his forehead, turning to Oliver. “It doesn't bother you, right?”

“It's okay.” another feminine voice reassured him. The Martian saw a petite blonde approaching, he instantly remembered her. “Chloe Sullivan, how are you doing?”

“I'm fine, John. Doing much better than the last time we met.” she replied. “Or, kinda met.”

John beamed. “Ah you remember Black Creek too?”

“Dude,” Victor came to them with Ollie and AC. “Black Creek? Don't tell me he's that Martian who saved Clark!”

The look on John's face was all they needed to gush over him. Oliver rolled his eyes as Ollie joined him. “She wanted to give you something good to remember.” he explained quietly, nodding towards Chloe who was deeply engaged in a conversation with their guest. “We came up with the idea to invite the team, I didn't think you'd be bringing someone, let alone him. It's great to have someone new with us.”

“You can trust him.” Oliver replied, watching the group. “He'll help us with the Davis situation.”

Their eyes met, brown finding brown, two identical entities sharing thoughts as if they were one. They may be physically separatedbut it didn't change the fact that they were the same person. 

“Good.”Ollie smiled, patting his double on the back. “Let's get settled!” he said louder to catch everyone's attention before slipping a few words in the other man's ear. “I did the cooking.”

Oliver laughed openly. “You reassure me now!” he said, knowing that Chloe and a kitchen were the recipe of a disaster and the rest of the team wasn't faring much better in that department.

Following them quietly, Chloe watched them with the purest expression of love in her eyes. Her chest warm at the sight of them both laughing and joking.

* * *

A few minutes later, they were all relaxing around the large table set up for that event in the living room. For once, Ollie had to admit that his penthouse, while usually fairly large, felt rather small with all these people around. It didn't matter to him, quite the contrary, it brought a smile on his face.

There, all perched on their chairs, happily chatting, bantering and overall having a good time were his team-mates, his friends, his family. His heart tightened at the word and he felt the warmth blooming in his chest. They were all there for his future-self who was basically him to give him one last goodbye in the form of a wonderful evening spent in the joy of being together for a reason different than having to save the world.

Tonight they weren't heroes or vigilantes, they were simply young adults enjoying a meal together.

Ollie's eyes moved over them. The food had been put on the table minutes before and Bart had been strictly instructed by Chloe not to touch it before anyone else. She'd event put Dinah at his side to watch him. The youngster looked desolated while Victor was taunting him in front of him.

On Dinah's right was John who was currently telling them about his alien origins, captivating AC on his right, Oliver who was sat at the end of the table – the seat of the king – and Chloe placed across AC and at Ollie's left.

The latter remarked that the Martian was doing much better at human social relationships than Clark ever did. He was perplexed by this knowledge. On one hand, he was thrilled to have the experience and wisdom of John but he would have also liked to have Clark with them and on better terms with him and Oliver.

“...Yes we had an equivalent,” the conversations cut in through his musings. “but our bodies didn’t need any clothes because our organs were hidden underneath the skin.”

“Man, you mean everybody was walking around naked?” AC asked incredulously. “Mars would have been my paradise!”

“No surprises there, it's even a miracle you weren't sentenced for public indecency in your life,” Dinah's wry voice chimed in. “I can't even count the number of times we stumbled on you naked.”

Victor snorted in agreement and found himself on the receiving end of his friend's glare. “It's not like you didn't enjoy it, Di admit it!” AC shot back sweetly.

Dinah shook her head quickly. “In your dreams!” she said before grabbing her glass and gulping it down.

“You're blushing!” Bart noted in a mocking voice.

Their canary almost choke on her drink. “What? I'm not!” she said in outrage.

Victor almost fell off his chair as he doubled over with laughter at the look on AC's face while Chloe and Oliver snickered and John watched their exchange with his constant grin, clearly enjoying every little thing of the evening.

“Am not!” Dinah stressed.

“Are too!” Bart challenged before dashing out of his seat to evade one of Dinah's blows. He reappeared at the other end of the room, pouting. “She tried to hit me!” he whined to Ollie.

Their leader rolled his eyes. “Go back to your seat, Bart.” he said as he came back from the kitchen with the last plate of chicken pasta. “Behave, and you too Dinah.”

The woman gaped at him and was about to retort when Chloe chastised her. “Come on, calm down.” she said gently. “You too Vic stop laughing, be serious.”

The cyborg ran a hand over his face to calm himself down and settle into his chair. “You're no fun.” he grinned.

“I am fun!” Chloe disagreed. “It's just that I know Ollie wanted to say something.”

Her head looked up at him as he sat down besides her. Ollie bumped his shoulder with hers, giving her a thankful grin which she returned. “Yeah well,” he began. “I'm not gonna make a speech but I just wanted to thank you guys for being here tonight. Chloe and I wanted to do something for Oliver and seriously It means a lot that you joined us, no jokes.”

He raised his glass towards his double who looked at loss of words. “So I think I can speak on the behalf of everyone here to tell you how thankful we are for what you did. What you did to save us was beyond everything we could have imagined, you're not just a hero, you're our hero.” he paused for a second, wetting his lips. “And... and I hope we'll live up to you in the future.”

Oliver's eyes shone as everyone looked at him in a mix of pride, admiration and respect. There was a long moment of silence as he blinked rapidly and looked down. “Please don't thank me,” he said quietly before clearing his throat, watching at them all until his gaze found Ollie and Chloe. “I did the only thing I could do. The world we were in after--” his breath hitched. “after everything, it was hell. I couldn't live here anymore so I did something selfish and came back in time to find a better place.”

Bart shook his head. “Dude, don't be like that.” he said. “You think you're selfish? You saved Dinah and Vic, you got Licious away from that Davis freaky dude and Brainiac. Plus all the innocent people he killed.” he countered. “Man I just wish I could be selfish like you, I'd be a real hero then.”

The older blond swallowed hard as he looked at the teenager of the group. “I'm..”

John chose that moment to offer some kind words. “Oliver,” he began kindly. “No matter your reasons, you sacrificed your own life to save your friends as well as strangers and you still are working on saving more lives. This is heroic.” he paused, letting his words sink in.

When the other man seemed to struggle with his emotions, the Martian grabbed his glass and stood, holding it up. “To Oliver.”

His friends mimicked him. “To Oliver!”

The latter chuckled nervously. “Well, okay I'm not gonna fight you if you want to call me a hero,” he joked before sobering up. “But seriously, you're destined to do amazing things in the future. I'm not a psychic, I know it.”

The atmosphere in the room was quiet as everyone pondered the seriousness of their words, their jovial mood forgotten for a moment. The future might be uncertainbut they were convinced that if something ever went wrong in their time they would act like Oliver did.

Chloe would do it, so did Ollie. As Vic and Dinah. AC was sure of it and Bart simply knew it while John admired them.

“Okay, let's eat!” The blond canary exclaimed, shifting the rest of the evening on the more happier and carefree side of the coin as everyone else laughed and went back to their meal.

“Yeah!” Bart agreed eagerly.

“Give me the sauce, please!” Chloe asked with a grin extending her arm towards John who gave it to her as he smiled warmly while Ollie leaned on his left, almost covering her with his body to pass the plate of Virginia Meatloaf to his doppelgänger who grabbed it happily.

He chuckled when Chloe nudged him and draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her to him as he kissed her temple. She smiled softly, looking up at him as he winked and dropped a tender kiss on her lips.

Oliver gave the meatloaf to AC and his eyes settled on the couple currently caught in their own bubble. His heart skipped a beat as he watched them, images of him and his Chloe in the same situations ran before his eyes and he found himself overcome by emotion as he sat back and watched over them all.

They were all happy and you could see the genuine attachment between everyone. Their group was tighter than a simple battalion of vigilantes, they were together for the good moments as well as the bad ones. This was friendship, this was family. 

Oliver finally realized that he had before his eyes what he had always wanted. How did they manage to go by without each others he didn't know but he sure as hell would do everything in his power to make sure this group stayed as united as ever in the future.

A small hand on his snapped him back to reality. Oliver glanced right into Chloe's concerned eyes.

“You okay?” she whispered.

The smile he gave her was as honest as the one he gave his parents when he was a kid. “I'm wonderful, it's perfect, everything's perfect. Thank you.”

She smiled and laced their fingers together as Ollie nodded at him quietly. They say perfection can't be attained in this world, Oliver only had one thing to say about that: bullshit.

The night had fallen over an hour ago on Metropolis and it was dark outside. When a strong light suddenly shone in the sky, getting the attention of everyone inside, Oliver knew the moment was gone.

As they approached the windows, a bright vertical ray of red light split the sky from the ground up as black clouds filled the atmosphere, blocking the stars of the galaxy from witnessing what was happening.

“Oh please no.” John's voice trembled and the younger people around him found themselves seized by fear in his tone.

“What is it?” Chloe urged.

He pointed one hand up to the middle of the sky where the reflects of a large symbol hovered between the clouds.

“This is the Kryptonian symbol for Destruction.” he said gravely. “It has to come from Jor-El's Citadel.”

* * *

**February 15th 2009. 08:21 PM UTC-6. Fortress of Solitude, Arctic.**

The air around the Fortress of Solitude felt oddly thick and suffocating. Bart felt it slowing him down as he carried each one of his friends on-site inemergency. The light was also gone entirely over the Tundra, only Clark's castle remained bright but its light didn't reflect on the snow.

It was like the Fortress was absorbing the light from its surroundings to channel it into the ray it was projecting in the sky. He just had to look up to see this blood-red sword slicing through the clouds.

That imagery made him shudder. Bart sped up and finally managed to bring John Jones as the last person of the group in the Fortress of Solitude. Inside, the League in full gear was being slapped and shaken around by gales of winds as the same reddish color abhorred the crystals of the Citadel. It was so loud that they had to yell to be heard. Jor-El was obviously using up a lot of energy to light up the sky but why? What was the reason? What did this symbol mean?

By the console stood Clark, trying to retake control over the process. Upon seeing him, the team moved to his side. “Clark!” Ollie shouted over the wind. “What's going on?”

The alien jerked his head up to them in surprise, his eyes widening as he noticed all the familiar faces present here. “I don't know!” he yelled back. “I was called here, I thought Jor-El wanted to talk, I don't know what's happening.”

“Half of the world is staring at this red light and it won't be long before someone recalibrate their satellites towards your fortress.” Chloe warned. “We have to stop it now!”

“Too late!” A voice echoed through the crystals. It came from nowhere and everywhere at once, as if Jor-El himself was talking yet, it wasn't his voice. Instead, that tone gave them goosebumps.

“Brainiac!” Clark said as he looked around to find him.

As if on cue, the body of Milton Fine materialized behind him. “Kal-El you should know better than to count me dead before actually having the proof of that fact.” he smirked in greeting.

“What are you doing?” he asked stiffly as the team stood close behind, ready to strike.

“I'm igniting the final sequence of this planet's destruction.” he said. “You are five-minutes away from witnessing the rebirth of the great Doomsday!”

The young heroes froze, looking at the android in a mixture of shock and fright while the latter sported his ever-lasting cynical grin. “The Ultimate is on his way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I was satisfied with this chapter so I had to rewrite it several times and even now I'm not completely crazy about it. Well it's too late now! One more chapter and this is the end of this first part of this series.
> 
> Enjoy!


	15. The Ultimate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Strong R for language, graphic violence and major character deaths.

_'Once you emerge, there will be no more pain, no doubt. Only absolute rage and unparalleled power.' Brainiac to Davis, Season 8, Episode 11: "Legion"_

* * *

**February 15th 2009. 08:27 PM UTC-6. Fortress of Solitude, Arctic.**

_The Ultimate is on his way._

“I'm not going to let you destroy another planet!” Clark professed.

Brainiac took a mocking step back. “You Kal-El? Have you never learned from our past encounters?” he reproached, standing proudly in front of the console. “I'm only a humble servitor of Zod.”

“And Zod's will is the only thing that matters to me.” Another voice surprised the group of young humans from behind. They jumped around only to see another Brainiac. “And soon it will matter to you too.”

“Tell us Kal-El,” A third Brainiac appeared. “You speak as if you're alone, how do you plan on taking us on all at once?”

They watched, slack-jawed as an entire swarm of Brainiac copies circled them. “You are lucky your friends arrived to help you, that will only make things more interesting.”

“What the hell is that?!” Bart demanded, his eyes wide.

“He's an android.” John explained, his eyes never leaving the one in front of him. “He has infected the Citadel and fed on its power. He's able to copy himself at will, the only limit is the source of his power.”

There were now as much clones of Brainiac as heroes in the Fortress. “How does being human feel to a Martian?” he smirked.

John pursed his lips. “He's trying to stall us.” he said loudly. “He wants us to focus on him so we can't stop Doomsday! It means Davis is still here and we can stop him!”

Before they could even blink, the android had John on his knees as his arms wrapped around the Martian's head. “That's quite clever, J'onn.” Brainiac told him, tightening his hold. “One flick of my hand is all it will take to snap your neck. You're not as powerful as you used to be.”

The humans were frozen at the sheer strength exhibited by the machine. Chloe's brow furrowed as she observed everything around her. If Brainiac went to such extremes to protect Davis that meant John was right and Doomsday was in there and that they had a shot to destroy the monster before any damage could be done.

Feeling particularly uneasy at proximity of the creature that had used her brain as its own playground in the past, she swallowed her anxiety and tugged on Ollie's green leather tunic lightly. “J'onn is right,” she whispered. “We can't afford losing time to Brainiac.”

The Green Arrow looked at her incredulously. “You seen the number of them there is around here?” he murmured back.

Chloe looked up at him discreetly. A part of her knew it was useless as Brainiac more than likely had super-hearing too. “What if it's all for show?” Their gazes locked for a moment, exchanging thoughts. EventuallyOllie nodded and took a deep breath.

In a dazzling move, his crossbow was aimed at the clone holding John, an arrow sailing through the air in his direction. That was all it took.

Reacting at the top of his game, Bart dashed towards the Martian and kicked back the android who chased after him. Chaos followed soon after.

The deafening winds bristling around them profited to the Brainiacs, attacking all at once. Dinah was sent reeling back to the closest pillar, hitting it with a grunt while Victor used all his might to overcome his opponent in a battle of strengths.

AC pierced through the ice, grabbing two clones with him before plunging into the abyssal depths of the ocean under the floe while the two Olivers protected Chloe as well as they could in hand to hand combat, knowing that it would only take one super-move from either Brainiacs to take them down.

Oliver swept one off his feet, he crashed down harshly on the ground while the archer stabbed him with an arrow. Its titanium head smashed against the android's body. Oliver watched helplessly, the machine recover and effortlessly throw him away.

Fortunately, he was grabbed by Clark who put him on the ground. Both men looked at each other indetermination. “I'll send him in the phantom zone!” the alien shouted over the wind.

“What you're gonna do that for all of them? Who knows how many more he can produce?!” Oliver shouted back as Clark shrugged helplessly.

“What else can we do?”

The archer cursed. He was right. Oliver nodded until he caught Ollie struggling to overcome two Brainiacs well set on chocking him. “Fuck it! I didn't do all of this to lose this fight!”

He dashed towards his double's rescue, meeting Victor on the way. “They're too powerful!” the cyborg said as he ran alongside him.

“Tell me something I don't already know!” Oliver gritted his teeth, shooting forward.

They both landed on the clones and quickly propelled them away as Chloe helped Ollie up, looking at them in alarm. “We're losing too much time!” she stressed. “John said Brainiac uses Jor-El's castle, he might need to relay its power to each clones.”

Victor's eyes widened. “Which means--”

“That we have to find the one who does that and kill him.” she finished.

“How are we supposed to do that?” Ollie intervened. “I'm sorry to say that Sidekick but they look pretty strong to me.”

“Guys, we've got problems here!” Victor interrupted, pointing to at least five more clones marching in their direction purposely.

* * *

Clark had just helped Dinah on her feet after getting rid of yet another clone who would only be back for more. He tried not to think about that and focused on his task.

Knowing every inch of his father's Fortress, he jumped to the top of the structure onto a cliff where the most important crystals in the edifice were stored. His eyes fell onto the second console of the Fortress.

Clark squinted at it indetermination and moved forward.

* * *

Victor yelled in pain as he crashed against a rock of ice. He scampered away as one of them followed after him. Oliver was trying to fight against one of Brainiac's clones trying to force his forearm down onto his throat while Ollie did all his best to pull him away.

Meanwhile, Chloe crawled under the same rock Victor had crashed into. She whimpered as limbs that weren't hers scrapped against the ice, letting her know she was being followed. She was about to reach the exit on the other way when a hand shot out, grabbing her ankle.

She gasped and wiggled out of the android's grasp, not losing one more second under that rock. “Fighting me is useless.” Brainiac's voice made her jump. She could already see his head poking out of the small tunnel. “It will all end tonight. Don't you think a death at my hands will be better than at The Ultimate's? Give up now and Zod could show you mercy!”

Chloe almost let out a sigh of relief as she got out, trotting away a few yards before looking back. Brainiac was going to be out in a few seconds. Her brain worked a mile a minute as her eyes fell on the large rock in which she'd been hiding just moment earlier.

An idea popped into her mind, her eyes moved frantically over the room, trying to find the right person. She stopped, noticing Victor having kicked another clone down into the hole created by AC while the latter dragged the android into the water.

“Vic!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

The latter turned in her direction the next second, his eyes wide. She motioned towards the rock wildly, hoping he would get the message. She hoped he did as he nodded at herbut she had more problems coming her way as her pursuer finally reached the exit of the tunnel.

Standing up, he fixed her with an emotionless stare for a moment. Chloe swallowed hard, starting to take several steps back when the android smirked and moved her way slowly.

One more step back. Her heart was beating frantically, she was unable to tear her eyes away from him knowing that would be a deathly mistake if she did.

Another one. Chloe gasped in surprise as her back hit a wall of ice. She was trapped, they both knew it. Brainiac took his time to reach her, as if to savor the moment and feed on the terror he could see on her face. Chloe found herself wondering if it was just an act destined to make her afraid or if he really was enjoying it.

He was only a yard away now. Five more steps at most and he would reach her. It would be the end if--

The rock behind Brainiac began to creak suspiciously. The latter froze, looking back at it with analysing eyes. More creaking followed and it started to move on its own. For a moment, Chloe swore she saw the surprise on his face as the large iceberg began to tip towards him.

He was about to zoom away when it all came down on him. Chloe was slapped by the force of the wind resulting of the movement, a loud bang filled the Citadel.

Silence followed, all eyes set on the rock under which one of the clones was trapped. Two figures emerged behind it, Chloe recognized in relief AC and Victor who looked exhausted.

A thunder of steps caught their attention at the other side of the room. The forms of John, Dinah and the two Olivers filled their visions. They were retreating back as an army of clones marched towards them dangerously.

“We're fucked! We're fucked!” Bart supersped towards Chloe as the heroes were once again reunited.

“For once,” Ollie began quietly, his eyes wide and set on the crowd ahead of him. “I think you're right Bart, we're fucked!”

Exaggeration was not Oliver Queen's typebut he had to admit that, the sight of countless Brainiacs literally filling all of the place was more than frightening to him. How much more power could it have?

“What are we gonna do now?” Dinah asked numbly.

“I don't think there is--” John was cut off when Clark landed in front of Brainiac's army, a dark crystal in his hand.

“Brainiac!” he shouted, branding the object. “I have your black crystal, one more step forward and I send you all to the Phantom Zone!” he warned.

Hundreds of similar faces turned his way all at once. The movement made Bart shiver. “Man that's creepy!” he said.

“Stop! Stop now!” the alien yelled.

In front of him the crowd was looking like nothing would stop them from reaching and tearing Clark apart until, inexplicably, they froze onspot. Their eyes still firmly set on him and his crystal.

The alien's relief was short-lived for, behind him and the league, the rock began to move once again.

They all watched, their eyes wide as the iceberg was sent rolling the other way, snowy dust filling the space. The spectacle shattered every hope they had had when they started to make out a humanoid figure through the thick smoke.

Brainiac stepped out of the cloud of dust, a vague of dismay washing over the league as he appeared to them. It was still Milton Fine's face staring them down and yet, the black cracks all over his face and body and the dark liquid falling down from his eyes made him look like a mad, unstoppable evil force.

His jaw was tight, as if containing his pain or his anger, and still, there was no strain in his movements as he started their way, his eyes as black as the essence of Zod. “I told you fighting me is _useless_.” he spoke up, the sound of hundred of voices echoing through the Fortress as he used all of his copies to talk with him. “The end of the human civilization is set and there is nothing you can do against it.”

“Do you really think we're going to let you do that?” Clark's voice wasn't as strong as he wanted it to be.

“You will have no choice but to bow or die because Zod will be here soon,” his hand rose, pointing to a spot on the wall, up high off the ground. There, between two pillars, caught inside an envelope of transparent ice was Davis Bloome. “Here is your master.”

The group of heroes watched in awe the man hosting the beast trapped in his cocoon, how they hadn't noticed it before, they didn't know but it wasn't good news.

“You're running out of time humans,” Brainiac sneered. “Make your choice.”

Victor gulped down the lump in his throat, his gaze moving from Davis to Brainiac. He shook his head at the words of the android. No way, there was no way it was going to happen. He had an ideabut there was only one chance out of a million that it could work, it was instant thinking and its consequences could cost them dear if he was proved to be wrong.

The young cyborg cursed. “To hell with it!” they didn't have much of a choice after all. His outburst had caught everyone's attentionbut Brainiac had been too slow to notice the young human rushing for him.

He was tackled down the next second and before he could produce any reaction, the human had pressed a hand down onto one of the cracks of his face. A buzzing electric current crackled through them. The android tensed, his senses failing him as loud yells of pain erupted from his mouth.

Vic trembled to gather his strengths and pressed harder. Brainiac started to convulse, his eyes opening as white light shot out of them. His body was now a mere fit of tremors. None of them noticed the clones melting down into a black liquid matter which crawled their way until they were close enough to be absorbed by the remaining android.

Revitalized, his eyes fell onto Victor whose shock prevented him from noticing the blow which sent him flying away.

“Vic!” AC shouted, rushing to his side.

Brainiac stood on wobbling legs. His physical appearance now worse than ever as the human noticed the effort it demanded him to stand tall.

“He did it!” Chloe whispered.

“Yeah I think he did.” Oliver mumbled in awe.

“You guys noticed? The other ones are gone!” Dinah remarked.

Clark moved towards the android cautiously, holding the black crystal tightly in his hand. Upon noticing movement, Brainiac dark eyes set on Clark, he froze for a moment. “It's over Brainiac.” Clark told him.

None of them had counted on seeing the machine zoom past them towards Clark. They jumped around only to see him and Clark wrestling for the crystal between them.

Brainiac's gaze pinned Clark who could only look back at him with wide eyes as he tried to pry the crystal out of the android's hands. It didn't work and both of their grip was tight on the piece of alien technology when Brainiac's hand started to emit a bright red light around it.

“Holy shit!” Bart yelled when a sudden sound explosion blew them away. A fusing noise and bristling wind rushed around them.

“The portal!” John shouted.

The humans could only watch the door towards the Phantom Zone forming behind Brainiac's back whose attention was still set on him. “What are you doing?” Clark demanded.

“You wanted to send me to the Phantom Zone,” Brainiac's voice filled their ears as his suit and hair were battled by the wind, wanting to be aspired in the portal. “I'm giving you what you want. This is the end for mebut you have more trouble lying ahead. And this,”

He yanked the crystal out of Clark's hands. The latter couldn't do anything as he tried to grab vainly at Brainiac who was already being aspired inside the portal. “This won't help you anymore!” his smirk was back as his hands crushed the crystal to pieces.

“NO!” Clark yelled.

“Prepare for the wrath of The Ultimate!” were Brainiac's last words.

Moments later, the portal closed down on him and he was trapped in a rectangular figure which carried him up the sky and away towards the Phantom Zone under the gazes of the Justice League.

* * *

 The silence had settled the moment Brainiac disappeared. There was no wind, no noise and the dark-reddish hue of the fortress had been replaced by its usual bright white color. All elements proving the android was truly gone were there. Yet, they stood paralyzed for a long moment, trying to understand what happened.

Clark hadn't moved at all from his spot as he stared at the black dust at his feet numbly. He blinked when a hand landed on his shoulder gently. “It's no use to blame yourself Kal-El.”

He shrugged the other man's hand away. “He destroyed the only way I knew how to open the portal, John!” Clark's voice rose a little as he faced him. “How are we going to stop Doomsday, now?”

The Martian wasn't unsettled by the distress of the other man. “Look around,” he said calmly. “All of your friends are here to help you, we are going to find a way.”

Clark's stare narrowed. “My friends?” he seethed. “I'm not friends with people who want to murder someone.” he nodded his head all too slightly towards the two Green Arrows.

“Excuse me?” An angry voice approached them. John looked back to watch Oliver marching their way. “How else can you stop him? Tell me Clark, you know everything so tell me!” he raged, not giving him the chance to reply. “I don't hide the fact that I want him dead, for more than one reason!”

“And you don't even care about the life you're going to end?” Clark shot back. “You want to kill a man, Oliver!”

Oliver gaped at him. “This guy isn't even human! He was created by some sick psycho from your planet!”

“We don't know that.” Clark shook his head. “For all we know, Davis Bloome could be perfectly human.”

The archer laughed mirthlessly. “Perfectly human,” he repeated incredulously. “You're delusional, Clark. No wonder so many people died because of you.”

The alien pinned him with a harsh glare. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“Clark, Oliver, please..” John tried to downplay the argument. “Calm down.”

Oliver shook his head fiercely, sending a quick glance in the older man's direction. “No, John, he needs to hear this!” he raged. “You just want to have your hands clean and you don't like what I'm going to do so you treat me as the bad guy! Guess what? I'm doing what needs to be done. What about you, Clark? Huh? What about you?”

Clark took a step forward, glaring at the other man. “How dare you calling me a coward? I sacrificed more than you ever could!”

The attitude of the two men began to alarm their friends. Despite his attempts to quiet their anger, John was unable to calm them.

“Okay guys... chill, seriously.” AC said, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

“Come on, it's useless!” Dinah spoke up.

Oliver ignored them as he found his emotions getting the better of him. “Fuck off, Clark!” he shouted, pointing angrily at the cocoon in which Davis Bloome resided. “This guy is going to kill us all and you want him to live? I can't believe that!”

“Unlike you, I'm not willing to cross that line.” Clark argued. When Oliver opened his mouth, he cut him off. “Try anything and I'll stop you.”

The chill that filled the atmosphere at his words seemed to make his point even more real. Time had stopped for the young heroes who watched their two friends yell at each other and this last sentence unsettled them.

Oliver watched incredulously the stern expression on the alien's face, he was frozen by the look in Clark's eyes. Somehow he felt that his words meant more than simply pushing him out of the way and for once, Oliver found himself seeing Clark as something else than an ally. He realized with a start that it might be the turning point of their tumultuous relationship. It was like something had broken between them, something they would never be able to fix.

Dazed, none of them heard the muffled movements of a creature hidden behind the console. They couldn't notice two blood-red eyes and their dark pupils opening up. Nor could they hear claws scrapping at ice lightly at first, then vehemently.

The noise was more and more insistent, like a bear scratching at the door of its cage, pulsing for the release; needing to go out and catch the preys he had sensed close-by. The sound finally reached Chloe's ears whose brow furrowed as she looked around, trying to locate it.

Then, abruptly, it stopped. She could hear the blood pumping in her ears loudly as a feeling of dread filled her at the eeriness of it all. Something wasn't right.

_Thump, Thump, Thump...._

Her pulse quickened and she breathed harshly. Her instinct had been perfected through all the life-threatening situations she'd been through to detect danger when it was going to strike. Right now, every fiber of her being buzzed in alarm. This silence gave her unpleasant goosebumps.

Then they all heard it. One loud bang, it made them jump in surprise, tearing Clark and Oliver out of their staring contest. Dinah gasped when another bang echoed through the fortress. There was no more noise for a long moment until...

Ice flew all over the place, Bart ducked to avoid any injuries and they all watched in horror one gray arm scattered with white spiky bones poke out of a large chrysalis like the one Davis was in.

A second arm helped the first one draw a monstrously large body out of the ground until a face emerged, its eyes set on them. The ground shook as the creature emitted a loud wail which horrified the young heroes.

He was here. The Ultimate.

* * *

 “No, no it's impossible!” Clark exclaimed in stupefaction, glancing between the beast climbing out of its chrysalis and the one where Davis was still trapped, visibly asleep. “There are two of them!”

John's wide eyes never left the monster. “No I think Brainiac split Davis from Doomsday.” he breathed. “He said he needed a host for Zod, that's what Davis is.”

“But.. but that means...” Ollie stammered.

“That means there is nothing to hold back The Ultimate anymore.” John finished, taking an instinctive step back.

Oliver let out a shaky breath. “Come on people, we can't afford letting fear control us! Not now!” he said, sounding much more confident than he felt. “Vic you're too worn out to fight anymore so step back!” he ordered, pointing to the rest of them. “You, Dinah and Chloe get Davis out of here and do not come back! The rest of us will keep Doomsday here.”

He then turned to Clark. “Can you do this at least?”

The other man's anger was gone, replaced by uncertainty. He swallowed hard and nodded. The monster was now free and wailed again as it rushed towards Chloe and Dinah, its closest victims. Before he could reach them, Clark had landed into its side and they both crashed heavily into the far-east wall. Tremors followed, making the rest of them stumble.

“Now, now!” Ollie relayed Oliver's authority to his team, setting them in action.

“Be careful guys!” Chloe shouted, locking gazes with Oliver then his younger self. They said nothing and the answer seemed different for Oliver.

“John, watch over them.” Oliver said quietly to the man who stood behind his back. “You have no more powers, Doomsday could kill you.”

“I hope you worked the kinks out of your plan, my friend.” John replied on the same tone before drawing his handgun and trotting towards Chloe's group.

“So do I.” The archer mumbled before setting off towards the beast, unable to notice a crouched figure watching the spectacle from the height of a small ledge.

* * *

Clark winced and rolled the beast onto the side so he was on top. The monster growled as his fist collided with its jaw. He used all his might to weaken Doomsdaybut it seemed useless as it kept coming back at him and never exhibited any sign of tiredness.

On each side of them, were both Olivers, bow poised and green-tipped arrow ready to shoot. Clark could feel the kryptonite getting to him and he slowed down as dizziness washed over him. The monster's large hand covered his face and he screamed in pain as it tried to crush his skull.

He couldn't breathe and the pressure against his head was unbearable, fear rose in him and he started to fight back in panic, trying to grab the monster’s arm. He heard the loud wail before he felt the pressure loosening. Quickly pushing away from Doomsday, Clark breathed in deep. There were two arrows poking out of the beast's throat.

Ollie walked up to him, helping him up. “Sorry for the green-K, we need to get him to the middle of the fortress so it won't happen again.” he apologized.

Indeed, the fight against Clark and Doomsday had brought them to a smaller corner of the edifice and there wasn't enough space for all of them, he could easily have been trapped with Zod's child and who knows what could have happened. He gulped at the thought.

“Okay.” Clark nodded.

The monster crawled away from Oliver who bravely branded another kryptonite-tipped arrow while it whined in pain as it drew out the ones already embedded into his neck with a squishing sound. Its red eyes glowed as it focused on the human and Oliver swore he heard a hungry snarl come out from its body.

Doomsday got on its knees slowly, eyeing Oliver all the while as it started to step close to him. The archer did his best to calm his racing heart and walked backwards, not allowing himself to look away. It looked like the effects of kryptonite were starting to wear off on the monster.

 _Bad news._ Oliver cursed inwardly.

Keeping out of arm's reach, Oliver watched the monster follow him as if he were a prey, its eyes glued to his form and moving with him unblinkingly. It extended its arms his way and growled, getting closer and closer.

An unmistakable fright seized him as Oliver's foot hit a crack in the ice and stumbled but managed to stay up. Doomsday's snarls were renewed and it gained bravery by finally approaching the human until its hand was dangerously close to him.

Claws took a swipe at him. Oliver grunted as the beast scratched his cheek superficially and he jumped back uncoordinated, his body shaking. This time, he knew Doomsday would come at him with all its strengths and he couldn't do anything against it.

 _The ring!_ A flash of brilliance went through the shadows of fear in his mind and he patted frantically his pockets while Doomsday moved forward dangerously. Panicking when he didn't find it, his hands shook uncontrollably until two of his digits felt the cold alien metal of a circular shape in an inner pocket.

The monster was invading his personal space and went to grab his arm before Oliver could do anything else. Screaming in both surprise and panic, he didn't have time to crawl away when a loud crack destabilized Doomsday who fell into the ice.

Splashing water wetted them as two human hands took hold of the monster and sent him down into the ocean, a flash of orange catching Oliver's eye.

“AC!”

* * *

“Slowly! Look out it's slippery!” John instructed anxiously.

Dinah nodded and thanked her training to help her focus on the task at hand and not the fact that she was climbing ice pillars two-hundred feet above the ground. Down there, the cries of the monster fighting with her friends wasn't helping at all. Knowing that a monster who had killed you in an alternate future was in the same area as her made her blood run cold.

She was so focused on her inner thoughts that her hand missed a hold and barely managed to catch herself before she fell, a yelp forced out of her at the close call.

“Dinah!” Chloe called.

“You okay there?” Bart yelled from the ground.

The blonde let out a deep breath. “I'm okay.” she said quietly knowing that John heard her.

“Good.” he breathed from his spot on the platform not even ten feet away from her. The place were Davis was engraved into the wall was tricky. You could get close to it by the ice pillar used as stairsbut the only way to reach it was either to fly or to climb.

Victor was exhausted after his scuffle with Brainiac drained all powers from his batteries and Chloe was making sure he wouldn't black out as it could be fatal in his situation. They both were right behind John on the platform as he did his best to assist her with his knowledge of the Citadel's structure.

“Please do it quick!” The Martian pressed on. “The longer you stay up there, the more dangerous it will get and--” he stopped mid-sentence as his eyes flew over to the other side of the Citadel, and squinted at another cliff.

“What?” came Dinah's voice as she continued her ascension.

John shook his head, swearing he'd seen something move on a similar platform. “Um.. nothing, I was saying that once you reach him there should be some kind of interstice between the chrysalis and the wall,” he continued. “It should haveperfect grip for your hand.”

“Yeah, I see it!” the canary confirmed as she settled onto Davis' side. Burying her right hand into the handhold, she took swipes at the ice cocoon around the paramedic and winced, shaking her hand. “The ice is too thick!”

John unholstered his handgun. “Catch!”

Dinah's dexterity was excellent as she grabbed the weapon mid-air. Turning it around in her hand, she tapped strongly with the butt of it against the ice only managing to form minor cracks. She sighed in frustration. “I'll shoot!”

John nodded. “Okay, but be careful not to break it entirely or you could both fall.”

The gun was unsilenced and Dinah made a face as she pressed the cannon against the ice, making sure not to shoot Davis even if she wasn't exactly fond of the guy. The shot echoed through the entire Fortress, exploding in her ears and she winced again.

Dinah shook her head, trying to get rid of the constant ring in her head as she noticed the hole into the cocoon. “It worked!” she exclaimed, louder than necessary. John's reply was muffled by her recovering ears and she used her previous technique to break the ice which came apart easily after that.

Strangely enough, Davis' body was still warm when she touched him. “I've got him!”

“Perfect!” John smiled before turning to Chloe. “Could you grab at my belt and one of the pillar to make sure I don't fall?”

Chloe acquiesced and shook Victor gently. “Do not fall asleep.” she instructed sternly. The cyborg nodded weakly and she went to help the alien.

“Here we go.” she said while holding firmly John with one hand, and the wall with the other while he leaned over the edge a little and extended his arms.

The alien looked up at Dinah. “Now, hold tight to your hold and lower him slowly,” he instructed. “Then let him fall, I will catch him.”

Dinah's eyes widened. “It's risky!”

“It's the only way! You couldn't carry him down.” John insisted at the look on her face. “Come on, my friend! There is no time for your ego right now, you're smaller than him, you can't support both of your weights with only one hand!”

She exhaled shortly. “Okay.”

“Okay.” John repeated.

Dinah did her best to hold onto Davis' wrist as she held him aloft in the air. “Ready?”

“Ready!” John nodded.

“Now or never.” Chloe confirmed.

* * *

The bubbles had stopped coming five minutes ago already. Oliver was crouched down, staring anxiously into the hole of water as Ollie, Clark and Bart stood at his side, all sporting weary expressions.

“You think he could drown it?” Bart asked, looking up at Ollie.

“I don't know,” he admitted.

“He should be back by now already.” Oliver whispered.

“Maybe I should go see what's going on down there.” Clark proposed, shifting on his feet.

“What you can keep up with the cold?” the teenager asked him, genuinely curious.

The alien shrugged. “A little, yeah.”

“AC is in his element, nothing can beat him there not even that thing.” Ollie shook his head, sounding confident. “He'll be back.” he said, putting a hand on his double's shoulder.

“You're right, you're right...” Bart swallowed hard, trying to convince himself.

“What if... what if Doomsday comes back?” Clark asked.

“It will,” Oliver replied from his spot. “Not even this water can hold him down.”

“Then what?” his doppelgänger asked. “How do we stop it? We can't kill him anymore.” he said, glancing sideways at Clark who frowned but stayed silent. “How can we stop it?” he repeated.

The older archer cleared his throat. “Just... just push him into a corner and back off. I'll do the rest.”

Ollie looked down at him, watching the back of his head. “What's your plan?”

The other man swallowed hard and looked up at him, a hopeful smile on his face. “Just trust me, okay?”

“Man I don't like where you're going!” Bart chimed in.

Oliver sighed. “Don't worry, it will work.” he reassured. “That's what matters.”

Clark's frown deepened as he studied the other man quietly while the youngest of them was about to protest when the ground shook beneath them, a drumming noise swimming through the water under the fortress.

“What's that?” Bart demanded.

Before any of them could answer, AC crashed through another spot of the ice behind them. He was sent flying into the air, dropping gallons of water all over the ground.

“Bart!” Oliver shouted.

He took the hint and zoomed through the Citadel to grab their friend before he could hit the ice. The latter coughed and wiped at his face, pain ripping through him. “Son of a bitch!” he cursed.

“You okay, dude! You okay.” Bart told him as the others rushed to his side.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” AC said, standing up on wobbly legs. “A bit dizzy, though.”

Ollie put his hands on the other man's shoulders to steady him. “Hold on, sit down for a bit and get your strengths back.” he ordered. “Boy am I glad to see you, how did it go underwater?”

AC winced as he sat slowly. “That shit doesn't even need to breathe but he hasn't figured out how to swim yet.” A small smirk appeared on his face as he took everything he could as a victory against Doomsday.

“Good to know.” Oliver nodded.

“Yeah but he's on his way up now.” AC said. “he should be back here in seconds.”

As if on cue, there was another splash from the small hole AC appeared and two strong arms banged against the ice, the strength of the blow cracking a large chunk of ice on which Clark was standing.

He yelled in surprise as the ground beneath his feet rising and tipping back towards the water; He fell over under the helpless eyes of his friends who lunged forward to help him and were too slow to stop the monster from reaching him.

“CLARK!” Oliver screamed and launched his body towards him, their hands grasping together as the human tried to pull him out of the water while Doomsday wailed and tugged against Clark's leg with its two hands.

The alien winced as he felt the tight grip of the monster against his limb, his eyes wide as they met Oliver's. The other man's expression was the same as he looked back. “Do _not_ let go!”

“Guys!” Bart yelled.

“Don't come any closer!” Oliver shouted back frantically. “Stay back! It's too dangerous!”

His orders froze them onspot, the three standing heroes could only watch from afar as Oliver vainly tried to pull his friend away from The Ultimate.

* * *

Davis Bloome had been caught successfully by John and Dinah had joined them moments later. Their task accomplished, Chloe helped Victor walk down from the height of their platform while the two remaining heroes dragged the unconscious paramedic after them.

They had reached the ground right on time to see Oliver trying to help Clark out of the beast's claws as its head and arms emerged from the water. Davis' body was left behind as their ran towards them.

“Ollie! Clark!” Chloe screamed.

Ollie jogged right in time to catch Chloe before she could throw herself towards them. “No, Chloe!” he shouted. “No one come any closer, the ice is too thin!”

“Let me go! Let me--” Chloe trashed against him vainly as his arms tightened around her, burying his face in her neck.

“Stop Chloe, please!”

“STAY BACK!” Oliver's voice was strained, his eyes begging them to obey him.

Clark's scream of agony shook them. He could feel his bones starting to break under the immense strengths of Doomsday. “Let go, Oliver, let go!” he whimpered.

“No!” The blond countered harshly. “I meant what I said earlier but I'm not going to let you die! You won't die, you understand?!”

The alien held back another scream as he gritted his teeth. “I can't...I can't!” he closed his eyes.

“Clark! Look at me!” Oliver shouted. It was useless, the other man's body went limp as the beast's grip never failed. “Damn it!”

In a dazzling move, the archer's hand released Clark and he bounced over him, his fist colliding brutally with Doomsday's face and they both fell back into the water.

Seized by the sudden change of temperature, Oliver's body jerked as he convulsed a little. Focusing his mind at the task at hand, Oliver overcame his physical reaction and started to reach for his jacket's zipper. The flesh of his chest meeting the freezing waters of Arctic had him holding back a gasp as his fingers encountered the Legion ring and lifted it out of his pocket.

Pain shot through him when a hand grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. Oliver met two murderous red eyes and he screamed when the hand closed down on his bones, blood spurting, coloring the water.

Precious oxygen escaped his lungs as the monster floated over him, blocking his access to the hole. The pain was too intense and he twitched. A physical reaction beyond his control that allowed the ring to slip from his fingers.

Oliver yelled under water, his other arm trying to find it, vainly. His scream of pain and horror echoed through the water as tears fell from his eyes while Doomsday mercilessly shattered his shoulder.

The torturous moment lasted for what felt like hours and hours until, the beast whined loudly, surprising him. It started to wiggle against an invisible opponent before letting go of him moments later to turn back to the hole and climb onto the soil. Even underwater, Oliver could see the rage in the movements of the monster.

Out of strengths and unable to use his right arm, he found himself lucky enough to float up towards the hole as the current helped him. The light of the fortress bathed him, warming his skin ever-so-slightly, giving him the strength necessary to use his left hand and grab at the ice.

He pulled himself to the surface, gasping loudly to fill his lungs. The spectacle that greeted him was not one he would have ever thought of.

Doomsday was laid face down onto the soil and didn't move as its dark blood stained the ice. On his left were all of the League and Clark who was still out. Yet what made Oliver's blood run cold was the sight on his right.

His eyes almost bulged out of his head when Lex Luthor's figure filled his eyes; He was standing proudly with the dead beast at his feet as he brandished a gun towards his friends' direction.

However, the sudden reappearance of Oliver startled the other billionaire whose gun turned towards him and fired a round. It gave Bart the opportunity to rush through the room and knock Lex out.

“Dude you alright? Answer me!” AC was crouched at the edge of the hole, extending a hand towards an exhausted Oliver Queen.

The archer nodded faintly. “It missed me.” he whispered, incapable of talking any louder as his eyelids started to feel heavy.

“Give me your hand.” AC prompted and he obeyed, writhing in pain when his shoulder emerged from the water.

“Oh my god!” Chloe gasped as the Atlantean pulled him out of the water and laid him onto the ground. “Oliver look at me!”

He looked up to see AC on one side and Chloe and Ollie on the other as they crouched down. “I lost the ring.” he whispered, a bit louder this time.

A laugh escaped from Chloe's lips as tears slipped down her cheek. She cupped his face as Ollie put a hand on her back and winked at him. “We don't need it anymore.” she told him, relief evident in her voice. “Doomsday is dead.”

Oliver's eyes widened and he propped himself on his elbows slowly. “Dead?”

Chloe's grin widened and she nodded while Ollie talked. “Everything's alright now,” he grinned. “Everything--”

Oliver saw the shock first fill his double's eyes long before his brain connected the squishing sound to the blade of ice poking out of the side of his neck. Ollie tried to talk but his voice never came and blood spurted out of the wound, grossly spraying him, AC and Chloe.

“OLLIE!” came her horrified scream.

He fell on his side and twitched, his blood pouring out of him but Oliver's attention was caught when his double's fall revealed a standing Davis Bloome behind him, a broken and bloodied piece of ice in his hand as he stared at Chloe in rage.

“How could you do this to me Chloe?” Davis bellowed, his eyes murderous. “You were supposed to love me! Only me!”

“DAVIS! NO!”

The paramedic lifted his makeshift weapon into the air, well intent on offering Chloe the same fate as her lover. “Davis put the knife down! Right now!” John ordered.

The other man spared no attention for him, his eyes were solely focused on the sobbing blonde before him. “Davis!” John shouted again.

It all happened in an instant. Oliver blinked and saw Bart force the blade out of the other man's hand before he could hurt Chloe at the same moment the bullet went through Davis's head.

The man fell to the side, dead. Yet, no one focused on him as Chloe rushed to Ollie's side while Oliver's brain finally processed everything and he followed her.

However, all their hopes were smashed to pieces when she rolled Ollie onto her lap. His eyes had rolled back into his head and he was immobile. He was dead. Oliver Queen was dead.

“Ollie! No, please no!” Chloe gasped, sobs racking her body when she cuddled him to her.

Their friends circled around them, shock evident on their faces. “Oh god I'm-” John's watched the scene in horror. “I'm so sorry!”

Oliver didn't hear any of them, he dropped to his knees besides Chloe. Tears washing down his face as he leaned over her and Ollie. “It was supposed to be me!” he cried. “It had to be me!”

After all he had sacrificed, Oliver found himself crushed as reality glared at him in the face. His younger self was gone, dead. He had given all of himself to offer them a better life, a chance of happiness and it all had been taken away in an instant.

Oliver had often asked himself what he would do for the people he loved, in his life. He already knew the answer the very first time he asked himself that question. We all do, actually.

Yet, fate reminded him that sometimes, everything was not enough.

 

**THE END.**

* * *

**_Epilogue_ **

He hissed as he held his hand flattened to his side, blood coating his clothes. He walked through the snow, accompanied by its characteristic squeaky noises with each steps as he recalled everything that had happened not even ten minutes earlier.

He had waited for the right moment to jump in and kill the monster. Gold Kryptonite was a godsend. It had taken twelve rounds but he, Lex Luthor, had killed The Ultimate Destroyer. The greatest threat the world had ever known was gone thanks to him. He was a hero. The Savior of the Earth.

He gasped again as he picked up his pace. That victory came at a price though. His nanosuit, the Prometheus Project had been compromised. The suit had given him invulnerability, he should have been unable to be wounded. Yet, Doomsday had been able to tear through his skin and hurt him.

It wasn't important, the injury wasn't life-threatening, only the pain remained and it would go away with time. He just had to make sure no bacteria slipped into his blood and everything would be fine. There was no other option, nothing would tame his triumph.

When Lex revealed himself in the Fortress of Solitude, Oliver Queen and the beast were underwater and the others were too shell-shocked to do anything. Firing down into the hole, the gold kryptonite bullets hit Doomsday several times. It hadn't been enough to kill it yet but he got its attention and moments later, the monster was lashing out in front of him.

He hadn't been fast enough to evade one of its claws and Oliver's band of so-called heroes hadn't helped him at all while he fired the last round that killed the Ultimate for good. The monster went limp at his feet. The power Lex had felt in that moment had been overwhelming but not enough to make him forget about the other people staring at him.

He had been ready to start his killing spree when the second Oliver Queen apparently had still been alive and surprised him by resurfacing. The rest was history. Bart Allen had disarmed him and knocked him out.

When he came to, Lex had been perplexed to see one of the Olivers dead and the others gathered around him. Unable to find his gun and deciding that his wound needed immediate attention, Lex had slipped away unnoticed and marched to his snowmobile. Well-intent on making his way out of Arctic before any of them noticed his departure.

Back to the present, there was still a thought nagging at him. There had been two Oliver Queen. How was it possible? What did it mean? Would it still happen again? The fact that one of them at least was dead was a consolation but it didn'tanswer his questions.

He froze, his line of thoughts forgotten when an unusual warmth felt thought his pocket, a charging noise filling his ears. He went to grab the offending object when The Orb shot through his overcoat and flew away.

“Shit!” Lex cursed, unable to do anything but watch as it sizzled through the air in the direction of the fortress. A minute later, he had to shield his face as a bright blinding light enveloped the edifice. It lasted for a short moment before everything died down and the Arctic night came back around him.

Lex's eyes were wide as he processed what had happened. So much mysteries for only one night. He shook his head. There was nothing he could to tonight but he made himself a promise as he straddled his vehicle and powered it up. He would be back.

_Oh yes, he would be back. Lex Luthor wanted answers, and he would get them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Err... I understand that this is a tragic ending but can I at least console you with the fact that there is a sequel? *Hopeful*  
> Fear not! I will do my best to post it in the next few days! In the meantime, hope you liked this one because there is much more to come.
> 
> Huge thanks to every reader who left a review through the story, it is more appreciated than you think!


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